HOW TO PREVENT 

^ SICKNESS '- 






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COPYRIGHT DEPOSnV 



HOW TO PREVENT 
SICKNESS 




THE INSTRUMENT USED TO DETERMINE BLOOD PRESSURE 



HOW TO PREVENT 
SICKNESS 

A Handbook of Health 

BY 

G. L. HOWE, M.D. 

Medical Director, Eastman Kodak Company 

ILLUSTRATED 




HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 



Kh'rl 







How TO Prevent Sickness 



Copyright, 191 8, by Harper & Brothers 

Printed in the United States of America 

Published October, 1918 

1-3 



OCT 29 1918 

Oci.Ar)0G3G5 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Introduction xxiii 



PART I 
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

What Contagious and Infectious Diseases Are . . 3 

What Germs Are 3 

Where Found 4 

Size 4 

Shapes 4 

Habits 5 

"Catching" Diseases 5 

General Preventive Measures. 

I. Keep the Body in the Best Possible Physical 

Condition 6 

1 . Eat the Proper Amount of Nourishing Food. 

2. Breathe All the Fresh Air Possible. 

3. Take Regular Daily Exercise. 

4. Get Sufficient Sleep. 

5. Keep the Body Clean. 

6. Be Regular in Your Habits. 

7. Be Temperate in All Things. 

8. Wear the Proper Clothing. 

II. Use Your Own Towel Only 37 

vii 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



III. Use Your Own Drinking Glass or Cup . . 39 

1. Sanitary Bubbling Fountains. 

2. Individual Drinking-glasses. 

IV. Drink Pure Water Only ........ 43 

Kinds of Water to Avoid. 
Sources of Safe Water-supply. 

V. Protect Yourself against Flies, Mosquitoes, 

Rats, Mice, and Other Vermin .... 47 

A. Flies. 

Habits. 

Fly-breeding. 

Connection between Flies and Disease. 

Fly-destruction. 

1. Attack Their Breeding- places. 

a. Care of Manure. 

b. Care of Garbage. 

c. Borax as a Destroyer of Fly 

Eggs and Young Flies. 

2. Keep Flies Out of the House. 

a. Screening. 

b. Fly-swatting. 

c. Fly-papers. 

d. Fly-traps. 

B. Mosquitoes. 

Distribution of Malarial Mosquito. 
Mosquitoes and the Panama Canal. 
Mosquito-destruction. 

1. Attack Their Breeding- places. 

2. Screening. 

C. Rats and Mice. 

Habits. 
Destruction. 

1. Starve Them. 

2. Render the Premises Rat-proof. 

3. Traps. 

a. Kinds of Traps. 

b. Bait. 

c. Hints on Setting Traps. 

viii 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

D. Cockroaches and Other Vermin. 
Roaches. 

Roach-destruction. 
Bedbugs. 
Habits. 
Bedbug-destruction. 

VI. Be Careful Where You Expectorate ... 70 

a. At Work. 

b. At Home. 

c. On the Street. 

VII. Be Careful When You Cough or Sneeze . . 71 

VIII. Keep Your Fingers Out of Your Mouth and 

Nose and Away from Your Eyes ... 73 

IX. Wash Your Hands Just Before Eating . . 76 

X. Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day .... ']'] 

XI. Avoid Close Contact with Sick Persons . . 78 

XII. Take Proper Care of Articles Used by Sick 

People 79 

Disinfection by Boiling. 
Chemical Disinfection. 
Use of Public Telephones. 

XIII. Be Sure of the Purity and Quality of Your 

Food 81 

A. The Milk- supply. 

Pasteurization. 

B. Meat. 

Diseases Spread by Infected Meat. 
Dirty Markets. 

C. Uncooked Food. 

Diseases Spread by Uncooked Food. 
Food Preparation by Healthy Persons 

Only. 
"Delicatessen" Food. 
Flies and Food. 

ix 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

XIV. Avoid Dust 86 

Connection between Dust and Germs. 
Vacuum Cleaning. 
Dry-sweeping with a Broom. 
Wet-sweeping of Floors. 

XV. Housing 88 

Connection between Home and Health. 

Rents. 

Advantages of House over Tenement. 

Gardens. 

PART II 

RESISTING POWER; ANTITOXINS AND VACCINES 

A. Resisting Power 93 

Comparison of Body Resistance with Military 

Organization. 
Kinds of Resisting Power. 

1. That which We Have at Birth. 

2. That which Is Manufactured by the Body 

During Life. 

3. That which Is Transferred to the Body. 

B. Vaccines and Antitoxins 98 

Vaccines. 

Comparison of Formation and Action of Vaccines 

WITH Military Organization. 
Antitoxins. 
Comparison with Military Organization. 

PART III 

SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR CERTAIN 
DISEASES 

I. Tuberculosis 105 

Some Important Facts about the Disease. 
Sputum, the Principal Source of Infection. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Influence of Age on Tuberculosis. 

A. From Birth to One Year. 

B. From Birth to Fifteen Years. 

C. From Fifteen to Thirty Years. 
Factors in Production of Tuberculosis. 
Prevention of Tuberculosis. 

A. Care of Advanced Cases. 
Public Hygiene. 

Personal Hygiene. 

B. Early Diagnosis. 

C. Special Preventive Measures for: 

Adults. 

Infants and Young Children. 

II. Pneumonia 112 

Four Types of the Disease. 
Prevention of Pneumonia. 

1. Keep Up Body Resistance. 

2. Avoidance of Exposure. 

3. General Preventi\^ Measures. 
Serum for Type One. 

III. Diphtheria 115 

What Diphtheria Is. 

Cultures. 

Diphtheria-carriers. 

Shick Test. 

Prevention of Diphtheria. 

A. Find Out by Shick Test Who Are Sus- 

ceptible. 

B. Antitoxin. 

C. Avoidance of Exposure. 

IV. Typhoid Fever 121 

What Typhoid Fever Is. 

How the Germs Get into the Body. 

1. Infected Drinking-water. 

2. Infected Milk. 

3. Flies and Food. 

xi 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Typhoid-carriers. 

How TO Locate Carriers — " Widal Reaction.*' 

Prevention of Typhoid Fever. 

1. Washing Hands. 

2. Screening against Flies. 

3. Investigation of Milk-supply. 

4. Preparation of Food. 

5. Boiling the Drinking-water. 

6. Disposal of Typhoid Discharges. 
Vaccination. 

V. Smallpox 127 

Some Facts about the Disease. 

Vaccination. 

What Vaccination Really Is. 

Proper Ages at Which to Vaccinate. 

Four Striking Proofs of the Value of 

Vaccination. 
Vaccination and Skeptics. 

VI. Scarlet Fever 134 

The Disease Serious because of Compli- 
cations. 
Prevention of Scarlet Fever. 

A. General Preventive Measures. 

B. How Scarlet Fever Begins. 



S} 



Avoidance of Contact. 



E. Care of Articles Used by Patient. 

F. Care of Discharges. 

G. Length of Time that Scarlet Fever Is 

Contagious. 

VII. Measles 136 

Some Facts about the Disease. 
Prevention of Measles. 

A. Avoidance of Contact. 

B. An Early Sign of Measles. 

C. Early Quarantine. 

D. Care of Discharges. 

xii 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



VIII. Chicken-pox 138 

The Disease Important because Often Con- 
fused WITH vSmallpox. 
Prevention of Chicken-pox. 

IX. Whooping-cough . 139 

Age and Whooping-cough. 
Seriousness of the Disease. 
Prevention of Whooping-cough. 

A. General Preventive Measures. 

B. Avoidance of Contact. 

C. Vaccination. 

X. Infantile Paralysis 142 

What Infantile Paralysis Is. 

Age and Infantile Paralysis. 

Carriers. 

The First Signs of the Disease. 

Prevention of Infantile Paralysis. 

A. Prompt Notification of Physician. 

B. Protection against Flies. 



SI 



Avoidance of Contact. 



E. General Measures. 

F. Kissing Forbidden. 

G. Postpone Visits of Relatives. 

XL Common "Colds" 145 

Diseases which May Develop from Colds. 
How We Catch Cold. 
Prevention of Colds. 
A. Personal Hygiene. 

Maintaining Body Resistance. 

1. Avoid Sudden Changes OF Temperature. 

2. Avoid Chilling of the Body. 

3. Removal of Adenoids. 

4. Avoidance of Dust. 

5. Temperature of Living-apartments. 

6. Windows Open at Night, 

7. Skin-training. 

xiii 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

B. Public Hygiene. 

1. Avoid Crowded Places. 

2. Avoidance of Contact. 

3. Care of Discharges. 
Concerning Draughts. 

XII. Grip 148 

Its Spread and Control Essentially Same 
AS in Case of Common "Colds." 

XIII. Malaria , 149 

Distribution of Malaria. 
How Malaria Is Spread. 
Prevention of Malaria. 

1. Destruction of the Mosquitoes. 

2. Avoid Mosquito-bites. 

3. Quinine. 

XIV. Summer Diarrhea 150 

Influence of Seasons. 
Importance of Summer Diarrhea. 
Prevention of Summer Diarrhea. 

1. Protection of Food from Flies. 

2. Selection of Restaurant or Market. 
• 3. Breast-feeding. 

4. The Bottle. 

5. General Household Cleanliness. 

XV. Lockjaw 153 

How Lockjaw Originates. 
Prevention of Lockjaw. 

1. Care of Punctured Wounds. 

2. Disinfection (Cauterizing). 

3. Tetanus Antitoxin. 

XVI. Rabies (Hydrophobia) 155 

Cause of Hydrophobia. 
The Pasteur Treatment. 

XVII. Spinal Meningitis 155 

Flexner's Serum. 

xiv 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XVIII. Tapeworms 156 

Three Kinds of Tapeworms. 
Prevention of Tapeworms. » 

1. Care of Cattle and Swine. 

2. Thorough Cooking of Beef and Pork. 

XIX. Trichina 157 

Connection betw^een Rats and Trichina. 
Prevention of Trichinosis. 

1. Control of Rats. 

2. Thorough Cooking of Pork. 

XX. Infected Wounds (Blood Poison) 157 

Connection between Germs and Infected 

Wounds. 
Seriousness of Infection. 
Prevalence of Infected Wounds. 
Prevention of Blood Poison. 

1. Cleanse with Gasolene. 

2. Apply Tincture of Iodine. 
3. 



The Dressing. 
4. 

XXI. Common Skin Diseases 161 

Scabies ("The Itch") — Lice^Ringworm. 
Preventive Measures. 



PART IV 

CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

Public Hygiene — Its Meaning .167 

Individual Hygiene — Its Meaning 168 

Common "Troubles" of Supposedly Healthy Per- 
sons. 
General Preventive Measures. 

A. Periodical Physical Examinations. 

The Reasons for Physical Examinations. 
Frequency of Physical Examinations. 

XV 



CONTENTS 

The Essentials of a Thorough Examina- 

TION. 

B. Personal Hygiene. 

C. Avoidance of Poisons. 

1. Alcohol, Tea, Coffee, and Tobacco. 

2. Constipation. 

3. Chronic Infections. 

D. Avoidance of Mental Fatigue. 

Influence of Modern Living Conditions. 



PART V 

DISEASES WHICH ARE LARGELY PREVENT- 
ABLE BUT NOT COMMUNICABLE * 

I. Cancer 187 

A Few Facts about Cancer. 
What Cancer Is. 

Parts of the Body Most Frequently Af- 
fected. 
How Cancer Begins. 
Danger Signals. 
Prevention and Cure of Cancer. 

1. Annual Physical Examination. 

2. Avoidance of Persistent Irritation. 

3. Prompt Action at First Sign of Danger. 

4. Operation. 

5. X-Rays and Radium. 
Cancer "Cures." 

The "Last Word" on Cancer. 

II. Constipation 194 

Normal Digestion. 
What Constipation Is. 
Some Results of Constipation. 
Prevention of Constipation. 
A. Drink Water Freely. 
xvi 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

B. Influence of Food. 

1. Proper Food the Best "Bowel- 

regulator." 

2. Foods Having a Laxative Action. 

3. Constipating Foods. 

C. Exercise. 

D. Regularity. 

Advice against Use of Drugs. 

III. Obesity 198 

How TO Tell if You Are Overweight. 
Results of Overweight or Obesity. 
Why People Get Fat. 
Prevention of Obesity. 

1. Weigh Yourself Occasionally. 

2. Influence of Food. 

3. Exercise. 

IV. Diabetes 201 

Relation of the Disease to Obesity. 
The "Allen" Treatment. 
Prevention of Diabetes. 

1. Periodical Physical Examination. 

2. Diet for Predisposed Persons. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Instrument Used to Determine Blood Pres- 
sure Frontispiece 

All Bacteria Are Magnified About Ten Thousand 

Times 4 

Simple Foods Are Nourishing 7 

Types of Indigestible Foods 8 

Frying, the Worst Way to Cook Food ...... 9 

These Teeth Can Chew Food Properly 10 

What Can You Expect from Such Teeth as These? . 10 

The Amount of Water You Should Drink Every Day ii 
Outdoor Occupations Are Healthful Because of 

Fresh Air and Exercise 12 

Proper Position of Bedroom Window at Night . . 13 

Sleeping-porch o . . . 14 

Window Tent 14 

A Simple and Inexpensive Ventilator 15 

Proper Temperatures 16 

Diagram Illustrating Household Humidity Condi- 
tions 17 

A Practical Way of Moistening the Air of a Room . 18 

Exercise for a Few Minutes on Arising 19 

The Improper and Proper Way to Walk ..... 20 

A Poor Way to Spend the Entire Noon Hour ... 21 
Brain-workers Need Exercise More than Those 

Physically Engaged 21 

xix 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Shaded Portion of Clock Shows Proper Hours for 

Sleep . 22 

This Room Is Getting Fresh Air, with the Bed 

Properly Placed 23 

Tubing and Spray for Shower-bath 24 

Six o'clock Every Morning 27 

Four Stimulants that Should Be Used in Moderation 

if at All 29 

Porous or Mesh Underwear . 31 

A Valuable Aid in the Prevention of Colds ... 34 
The Common Towel Must Go; It Is a Disease-spreader 

AND in Most Cases Is Against the Law .... 37 

Both of These Methods Are Sanitary 38 

"Come On, Bill; Give Me and the Kid a Chance" . 40 

Home-made Sanitary Drinking-cup 41 

Sanitary Drinking-fountain; an Ideal Way to Drink 

Water 4.2 

Diagram Shov/ing How Cities and Towns Cause Pol- 
lution OF A Stream 43 

The Family Water-supply 45 

Good and Bad Wells 46 

The Common House Fly Is Responsible for the Spread 

of More Disease than Any Other Insect ... 48 

A Manure Pile in the Center of a Large City; an 

Ideal Breeding-place for Flies 49 

Thousands of Flies Were Feeding upon the Contents 

OF This Can 50 

Life-history of a House Fly 51 

What Is Happening Every Day During Fly Season . 53 

Two Sanitary Methods of Garbage Disposal ... 55 

Fly-swatter 57 

One of the Best Kinds of Fly-traps 57 

The Cause of the Spread of Malaria , 59 

XX 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Shaded Portions of this Map of the United States 

Show Where Malaria Still Exists 60 

An Ideal Breeding-place for Both Mosquitoes and 

Flies 61 

Mosquito-breeding 62 

A Spreader of Disease and the Best Kind of Rat- 
trap 64 

A Cheap Mouse-trap that "Gets Them" 66 

The Wrong Way to Cough — The Right Way ... 72 

The Wrong Way to Sneeze — The Right Way ... 74 
This Boy Is Willing to Take a Little Trouble to 

Keep Clean 76 

One of the Best Investments You Can Make for 

Twenty-five Cents 77 

The Modern, Sanitary Way 82 

The Old-fashioned, Unsanitary Way 82 

The Old-fashioned, Unsanitary Way 85 

A Modern, Sanitary Method 85 

These Two Back Yards Are Actually Next Door 

TO Each Other 87 

Six-room Cottage With Improvements 89 

Fifteen Different Families Live in This Court . . 89 

These Rod-like Germs Are the Cause of Consumption 94 

When a Consumptive Expectorates 109 

These Germs, in Pairs, Cause Pneumonia 113 

Deaths from Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Colds, and Grip 

IN New York City 114 

Culture Tubes 116 

Diphtheria Antitoxin 120 

Typhoid Germs, Ten Thousand Times Actual vSize . 122 

Typhoid Vaccine 126 

Smallpox, or a Simple, Harmless Vaccination AIark . 129 

Glass Tubes Containing Vaccine 131 

xxi 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Feeding-bottles 152 

Germs of Lockjaw 153 

The Vital Part in the Prevention of Blood Poison . -iGi 
The Diseases of Adult Life Are Often Unsuspected 

Until Too Late 169 

Stethoscope, Used in Testing the Heart and Lungs . 172 

Watch, for Taking the Pulse 174 

Thermometer, Used to Determine the Presence of 

Fever 176 

Outfit for Testing the Urine 178 

Foods of Value in the Prevention of Constipation . 181 



INTRODUCTION 

We have heard so much about ''safety first'' 
lately that the term has become a byword. 
Back of the movem.ent, however, is the idea of 
prevention. "Safety first" does not mean taking 
care of an injury after it has occurred; it means 
teaching people to be cautious and at the same time 
to guard machinery and tools so that the accident 
never takes place — it means prevention. 

If it is important to prevent accidents, it is even 
more important to prevent sickness. Industrial 
workers lose more time as a result of injuries and 
illness than from any other cause. It has been 
estimated that each of the thirty million persons 
employed in industry in this country loses on an 
average of nine days a year because of sickness. 
Put into figures, this means that there is an annual 
loss in the United States equivalent to nearly 
1,000,000 years of work. This represents a loss to 
the workers of the country of something like 
$800,000,000 and a loss to industry of a propor- 
tionately large amount in products that are never 
manufactured. Suppose this loss of time could be 



INTRODUCTION 

reduced to four or five days a year; think of the 
saving that would resuh, not only in human suf- 
fering, but in money as well. You ask, is it possible 
to do this. It is. Simply by applying the knowl- 
edge we already possess, more than half the disease 
in the world might be prevented. That is the idea 
of this book — to give you certain proven facts, not 
theories, which, if made use of, will enable you to 
really prevent a great deal of sickness. All disease 
is not preventable, but so much of it is that it 
means comfort and money saved if we will take 
advantage of what is known about this important 
subject of sickness prevention. 

Portions of the text as well as many of the illustrations are re- 
produced by courtesy of Eastman Kodak Co. 



Part I 
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 



" In the health of the people lies the wealth of the 
nation '' — Gladstone 



HOW TO PREVENT 
SICKNESS 

What Contagious and Infectious Diseases Are 

DISEASES which are caught by simply going 
near a person (contagious diseases, such as 
scarlet fever and smallpox), those that are con- 
tracted by lack of care when in contact with the 
sick person (infectious diseases, such as consump- 
tion and typhoid fever), and those diseases such as 
''the itch'' and ringworm, are all communicable. 
It means that they may be passed on from one per- 
son to another. 

Most of the communicable diseases, though not 
all, are caused by germs. If you have some general 
idea about germs, such as their size, their habits, 
and what they look like, you will understand more 
clearly what follows and be able to see the reasons 
for the statements made. 

What Germs Are. — Germs are tiny plants called 
bacteria or microbes, and are the smallest living 
things that are known. 

3 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

Where Found. — Except at the polar regions, in 
the middle of the ocean, and on the tops of high 
mountains, germs are present everywhere. They 
are on our bodies, our clothes, our food — in fact, you 
cannot touch anything that is free from germs. The 
reason that most of us are not sick all of the time is 







These germs, in 
bunches, cause 
abscesses and 
carbuncles. 



These chains of 
germs cause blood 
poison. 



Germs of this sort 
cause milk to turn 
sour. 



Germs of relaps- 
ing fever. 



ALL BACTERIA ARE MAGNIFIED ABOUT TEN THOUSAND TIMES 



that not all of these germs cause disease, and also 
that most of us are strong enough to resist the few 
that are taken into the system. 

Size. — Bacteria are so small that millions of them 
could swim in a drop of water without evoLi crowd- 
ing one another. It is quite impossible to see them 
with the naked eye, and not until powerful mi- 
croscopes v/ere invented could they be seen at 
all. Even then, when magnified thousands of 
times, they look like the dots and dashes on this 
page. 

Shapes. — The common germs are round like balls 
or straight like short rods. Certain other forms 
are curved like a corkscrew. Germs are rarely 
seen alone, but grow in bunches like grapes, or in 
chains like strings of sausages. Some always grow 

4 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

in pairs, while others, when seen together under the 
microscope, look like jackstraws. 

Habits. — Bacteria multiply by simply breaking 
apart. Shortly there are two full-sized bacteria 
in place of the one. From this it can be seen how 
millions of germs may form in a very quick time. 
The action of cold stops the gro\\^h of bacteria, 
but they begin to grow again as soon as they become 
w^arm. That is the reason why we use ice-boxes 
in summer, as food ''spoils" when certain bacteria 
grow in it. On the other hand, boiling kills 
GERMS, and this is the best and cheapest way to get 
rid of disease germs. Doctors and nurses boil 
their instruments and dressings so as to kill the 
germs on them; after that they are not handled 
until ready for use. One of the principal reasons 
why food is boiled when preparing it for canning 
is to kill the bacteria; it is then put into air-tight 
cans so that no more germs can reach it. 

'* Catching" Diseases. — Certain troubles, such as 
indigestion, Bright's disease, and diabetes, have 
nothing whatever to do with germs. How^ever, it is 
said that half the people who are sick catch their 
diseases from other sick persons. ''Catching" 
a disease means taking the living germs of that 
disease into the bod3^ These germs leave the sick 
person's body and become planted in the body of the 
well person. Disease germs may leave a sick per- 
son in four different ways — with the solids and 
liquids which pass out of the nose, the mouth, the 

5 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

bowels, and the bladder. If every sick person 
would guard these four gateways of the body and 
destroy all the germs that escape through them, 
there would soon be no more germ diseases. 

Each ''catching'' disease has its own kind of 
germ, just as every tree, flower, or fruit has its own 
kind of seed. For this reason, it would be just 
as impossible for the germ of typhoid fever to pro- 
duce pneumonia as it would be to get oranges if we 
planted cherries. 

General Preventive Measures 

There are certain precautions we can take con- 
cerning our habits of living, both at work and at 
home, which will help to protect against com- 
municable disease in general. The proper care of 
our homes, what to do when we are sick or near 
others who are sick, and finally care in our personal 
habits are for the most part matters of common 
sense. That we may have these precautions 
clearly in mind, however, let us discuss them in 
detail, as they all have an important bearing in 
preventing the spread of disease. 

I. Keep the Body in the Best Possible Physical 
Condition. 

This is by far the most important precaution of all. 
If you are in good, robust health, you will be better 
able to resist disease even though you are brought 

6 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

into close contact with it. As a general rule it is 
the physical weakling who succumbs most easily 
to disease. Perhaps you have wondered why doc- 
tors and nurses, who are exposed a great deal to 
disease, so seldom become ill. They do not lead 
charmed lives by any means, for sometimes even 
they are taken sick, although it is the exception and 
not the rule. The reason is that they know by 
practical experience and observation the great im- 
portance of keeping themselves ''fit/' It costs 
practically nothing to do this and it pays bigger 
dividends than anything else you can do. Good 
health is dependent upon eight simple rttles, as 
follows : 

Rule I. Eat the Proper Amount of Good, 
Nourishing Food. — This is perhaps the most im- 
portant rule of all, but the one most disregarded. 




SIMPLE FOODS ARE NOURISHING 



Some people eat too little of the proper food rather 
than too much, but there is little doubt that most 
of us who have all the food we desire eat consider- 
2 7 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

ably more than is good for us. Remember that 
''strength comes from the kitchen and not from the 
drug-store.'' 

Good food is not necessarily fancy food. Simple 
foods are the best, as they cause less effort on the 





TYPES OF INDIGESTIBLE FOODS 

part of the stomach in the process of digestion. 
Milk, butter, meat, eggs, fish, bread, cereals, fruits, 
and vegetables of all kinds are examples of simple 
foods. Milk is generally regarded as the most 
valuable single food, as it contains all the elements 
necessary to existence. However, a healthy adult 
could not live on milk alone, indefinitely, as even 
good, rich milk is almost nine-tenths water. 

By rich arid indigestible articles we mean cake, 
pastry of all kinds, hot bread, pickles, and most 
fried foods. These, when eaten, should be taken 

8 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

sparingly if we do not wish to overtax the digestive 
organs. In cooking, bear in mind that frying ren- 
ders the food less digestible than any other form of 




FRYING, THE WORST WAY TO COOK FOOD 

cooking. On this account broiling, baking, and 
boiling should be employed in preference whenever 
possible. Apples, oranges, lettuce, figs, prunes, 
cereals, spinach, tomatoes, rhubarb, Graham and 
rye bread and cabbage are all known to be of value 



MEAT 3 X A DAY + NO EXERCISE- 
BRIGHT'S DISEASE [IN A FEW YEARS] 



in the prevention of constipation, and may be 
regarded as desirable articles of food for this 
reason. 

9 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

As a general rule meat should not be eaten more 
than once a day; a disregard of this may lead in 
time to Bright's disease and other troubles. 

Some people, through habit, bolt their food, while 
others fail to chew it thoroughly because it hurts 
their teeth to do so. The result in either case, 




THESE TEETH CAN CHEW FOOD 
PROPERLY 



WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM 
SUCH TEETH AS THESE? 



sooner or later, is impaired digestion. If your teeth 
are in bad shape, have them put in proper condi- 
tion by a competent dentist for the sake of your 
digestion, if for no other reason. Thorough mas- 
tication is second only in importance to the choice 
of the food itself. 

Going without breakfast is not a good thing and 
may cause headache and f aintness. Do not eat 
between meals; this upsets nature's plans and 
causes confusion in the stomach. A ''lunch'' just 
before going to bed is unwise, as it deprives the 
stomach of about the only rest that it gets. It is 
very much the same as if you yourself tried to work 
twenty-four hours out of the twenty-four. 



ID 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

The cold lunch at noon, except on hot summer 
days, is not a good idea. If you take your lunch 
to work, buy a bowl of hot soup or a cup of cocoa 
to drink with it. Or you can very easily make a 
cup of hot malted milk with malted milk powder 
obtained from the druggist ; this is quite nourishing. 
Soup or other hot liquids placed in a vacutim 
bottle on leaving home in the morning will keep 
hot until lunch-time. Such bottles may be ob- 




THE AMOUNT OF WATER YOU SHOULD DRINK EVERY DAY 



tained in one-pint sizes for a dollar, and with care 
will last indefinitely. At any rate, see that you 
eat or drink something warm at noontime. 

It is not a good plan to eat a meal following 
heavy exertion; the blood of the body is at that 
time largely in the muscles, in which case the 
stomach is not prepared to digest the food prop- 
erly. Better take a short nap or at least rest fifteen 



II 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

or twenty minutes to allow adjustment of the 
circulation before eating. 

Drink at least six glasses of water a day in winter 
and eight in summer. This means a glass at each 



^ite 


^a 




^g*; 







OUTDOOR OCCUPATIONS ARE HEALTHFUL BECAUSE OF FRESH AIR 
AND EXERCISE 



meal, one or two between meals, and one at bed- 
time. It is not harmful, as some think, to drink 
water with your meals, provided food is not washed 
down with the water. If no food is in your mouth 
when you drink no harm will result. 

Rule 2. Breathe All the Fresh Air You 
Can at All Times. — Next to proper food, pure, 
fresh air is most essential to good health. At your 
work-place, the proper air conditions are maintained 
by ventilating systems. When not at work it is 
up to you to see that you get fresh air. Get out 
into the open all you can. As a rule, the outdoor 



12 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 



worker is the most healthy in the long run. This 
is seen in the case of farmers and fishermen. 
However, the inside work has to be done, and 
it is necessary for most of 
us to be indoors in the day- 
time. But it is within our 
power to be in the open air the 
rest of the time, or practically 
so if we sleep with our windows 
wide open. It used to be 
thought that night air was in- 
jurious and that malaria and 
other diseases came in this 
way. We now know that the 
bite of a certain mosquito is 
the sole cause of malaria, and 
that the ''night air" supersti- 
tion is without any foundation 
whatever. So before going to 
bed open the windows top and 
bottom, except in the severest 
weather, and even then have 
one window open at least a 
foot. Better still is sleep- 
ing in the open. This is an excellent practice for 
any one, no matter how healthy. It is accom- 
plished in a practical way, winter and summer, by 
the use of a window tent, several makes of which 
are on the market and which cost about five dol- 
lars. By the use of a window tent your head is 

13 




PROPER POSITION 
BEDROOM WINDOW 
NIGHT 



OF 
AT 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



really outdoors, while your body is indoors. If you 
own your home and happen to be ''handy'' with 
tools, a small sleeping-porch may be built, if you 
prefer, at a cost of less than fifty dollars. The win- 





SLEEPING-PORCH 



WINDOW TENT 



dow tent, however, answers every purpose and has 
some advantages over the sleeping-porch. 

A thin board, twelve inches wide, fitted into the 
bottom of the window-frame and the window then 
opened about eight inches, makes an excellent and 
inexpensive ventilator. The fresh air comes in 
between the two windows and is directed upward 
without producing a draught. 

The air in poorly ventilated buildings where great 
numbers of people gather for a considerable time is 

14 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 




A SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE VENTILATOR 

Arrows indicate direction of air current. 



usually bad, because it passes repeatedly from one 
pair of lungs to another. 

Some people make it a habit every day to slowly 
inhale to the full chest capacity, hold for four or 

15 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



five seconds, and then exhale. This is repeated 
fifteen or twenty times and is always done outdoors 
and where the air is pure. It is an excellent habit, 
as it forces the air into the further- 
most portions of the lungs that with 
the ordinary quiet breathing are in- 
sufficiently ventilated. By so doing, 
the lungs are rendered much more able 
to resist disease, especially tuberculosis. 
In winter, when it may be regulated, 
the proper temperature of the air in 
a room where people are sitting is 
70°. When you are engaged in active 
work or moving about it should not 
rise above 68°, except under unusual 
conditions. 

Almost as important as the temper- 
ature is the moisture in the air. This 
matter takes care of itself in summer, 
but in winter, in artificially heated 
buildings, the air when heated is able 
to take up much more moisture than 
is possible at the lower temperatures. 
For example, let us suppose a cubic 
foot of air is taken from outdoors at a temperature 
of 25"^ F. If this air contains 75 per cent, (or three- 
fourths) of the amount of moisture it can possibly 
hold, it will, afjter passing through a furnace and 
being heated to 70° F., contain only 18 per cent., 
provided no water has been added. This low per- 

16 



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PROPER TEM- 
PERATURES. 
FOR ACTIVE 
WORK — 68°. 
FOR QUIET 
WORK — 70° 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 



centage of moisture is noticed by a dry feeling 
of the skin and by the fact that plants tend to dry 
up and die. The moisture may be partly replaced 
by keeping water constantly boiling in the living 
apartments or by placing shallow pans of water on 

















ISaturat^ 
1 








[ only 

1 18% 

1 Saturatei 












;°F. Cubic foot 
nder average w 

ns. 






At 2. 

air u 
ditio 


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nter 


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con- 


At 70° F. Cubic foot of heated 
air, after passing through fur- 
nace, can take up more moist- 
ure. Heating also expands the 
air slightly. 



DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING HOUSEHOLD HUMIDITY CONDITIONS 



the radiators or hot-air registers. In winter, if 
frost or moisture is seen on the windows you may 
be sure that there is sufficient moisture in the air; 
this is an easy and simple guide to go by. So it will 
be seen that the amount of moisture that air will 
absorb depends on the temperature of the air. 
The warmer the air, the more moisture it will 
hold. 

To promote comfort and health, the air we 
breathe should contain from 50 to 75 per cent, of 
moisture. It is possible for air to contain too much 

17 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 




A PRACTICAL WAY OF MOISTENING THE 
AIR OF A ROOM 



moisture; in fact, an excessive amount, or what 
is termed ''high humidity," is what causes us to 
feel so uncomfortable on the ''sticky" days in 

summer; also, too 
much moisture in 
winter is respon- 
sible for the "raw," 
bitter cold which is 
so penetrating. 

Rule 3. Get 
Some Form of Ex- 
ERciSE Every 
Day. — We all know 
how quickly a per- 
son loses strength 
when confined to bed for a long period, even 
though not really sick, say, for instance, with a 
broken leg. There is only one reason for this — lack 
of that exercise which the muscles have been 
accustomed to. 

Moderate, sensible exercise is absolutely neces- 
sary to keep the muscles in good condition, to help 
throw off the body-poisons and to produce that feel- 
ing of ' ' snap ' ' and vigor and appetite that all those 
in good health experience. This does not mean that 
it is necessary to run five or ten miles every day, 
or to play football, or anything of the sort. What 
it does mean is that morning exercises, on arising, 
for two or three minutes before the windows are 
closed, are a good thing; that walking to and from 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 



your work, whenever possible, is beneficial. If you 
live so far from your work that you are unable to 
do this, there is nothing to prevent your walking 
part way and riding the rest. Because walking is 
the most common 
and cheapest form 
of exercise and 
within the reach of 
all, its value is apt 
to be held too 
Ughtly. The chief 
good of walking is 
that it must be 
done in the open 
air, and because of 
this it might well 
be considered the 
ideal form of exer- 
cise. When walk- 
ing, do so with a 
full stride and 
swing the arms; it 
will do you very 
much more good 
than if you take it 
slowly and quietly. 

Never exercise to the point of exhaustion, as this 
takes away all the benefit gained. Stop just 
short of fatigue and you will be surprised how much 
you can do or how much farther you can walk 

19 




EXERCISE FOR A FEW MINUTES ON 
ARISING 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



from week to week as the muscles become used to 
the exercise. Do not exercise immediately after a 
full meal, as it interferes with digestion; this applies 
particularly to swimming. 

It takes no one much more than twenty minutes 
to eat lunch, and instead of sitting inside for the 

rest of the noon 
hour, reading, 
smoking, or 
playing cards, 
get out into 
the fresh air. 
In summer you 
will have time 
for some base- 
ball or ^^ catch" 
or a game of 
quoits, and in 
winter you can 
take a walk, if 
nothing else. Saturday afternoons and evenings 
you may be able to skate ; this is an excellent form 
of exercise. Swimming and open-air bathing are 
good if you do not remain in the water more than 
fifteen, or twenty minutes, as they combine exercise, 
bathing, and breathing of fresh air. 

While every one of us needs exercise, it is of 
special importance in the case of brain-workers. 
Here there is an increased supply of blood in the 
brain and it is quite important that the circulation 

20 




THE IMPROPER AND PROPER WAY TO WALK 

The boy on the right is deriving benefit from his 
exercise. 



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A POOR WAY TO SPEND THE ENTIRE NOON HOUR 




BRAIN-WORKERS NEED EXERCISE MORE THAN THOSE PHYSICALLY 

ENGAGED 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



be adjusted. Nothing accomplishes this so well as 
muscular activity. 

The improved circulation of the blood following 
exercise will repay you for your trouble many 

times in the gen- 
eral benefit to your 
health. Try it for 
a month and notice 
the difference. 

Rule 4. Get 
Sufficient Sleep 
Underthe Proper 
Conditions. — You 
are forced by na- 
ture to sleep, 
whether you want 
to or not. If you 
go without sleep 
one, two, or three 
nights, you will fall 
asleep at your 
work; you cannot 
prevent this. However, by running short on sleep 
month in and month out, say by sleeping five or 
six hours a night, you will very materially affect 
your general health. Dances, parties, and other 
forms of amusement that keep a person up until 
after midnight every night in the week are harm- 
ful. Do not think that you can sleep almost all 
day Sunday and make up for the late nights 

22 



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SHADED PORTION OF CLOCK SHOWS 
PROPER HOURS FOR SLEEP 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 




of the week before. It does not work out that 
way. 

The average healthy adult requires at least 
eight hours of sleep in the twenty-four to keep in 
the best condition. Perhaps you are one of those 
exceptions that 
have managed 
on five or six 
hours for years 
and seem to 
thrive on it. If 
so, you cer- 
tainly are an 
exception, as 
most people 
would ''run 
down'' on this 

amount of sleep. Every day- worker should make 
it a point to be in bed by ten o'clock at least five 
nights of the week. 

The bedroom should be quiet and well- ventilated. 
Never permit yourself to ''sleep cold"; this does 
not mean, however, that you should pile on covers 
until you are weighted down with them, as they 
will only disturb your sleep and make you restless. 
The bed, if possible, should be in that part of the 
room where a draught will not blow over you.^ 
This applies especially in summer, for at that sea- 
son you have few covers on, if any, and a draught 
can do the most harm. A hard mattress is better 
3 23 



THIS ROOM IS GETTING FRESH AIR, WITH 
THE BED PROPERLY PLACED 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



than a soft one, and feather beds should not be in 

any modem home. 

Rule 5. Keep the Body Clean at All Times. 

— Strange as it may seem, breathing is carried on 

by the skin as well 
as by the lungs, al- 
though, of course, 
to a less extent. 
Also, like the kid- 
neys, the skin as- 
sists in throwing 
off waste matter. 
The skin is unable 
to properly per- 
form these func- 
tions if the pores 
are clogged up with 
dirt and grease. It 
is known that if a 

TUBING AND SPRAY FOR SHOWER-BATH COat Of Vamish 

were applied to the 
entire body the person would soon die. When 
we fail to keep the skin clean, healthy, and 
active, bad results follow in proportion to the 
neglect. 

To keep the skin in proper condition one should 
take a hot bath with the free use of soap twice 
a week in winter. In summer, when perspira- 
tion is free, a bath every day is necessary. Aside 
from the benefit derived from bathing, a neglect 

24 




COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

of this matter makes it disagreeable for those 
near by. 

One of the great preventives of winter ills, such 
as colds and sore throats, is cool bathing every 
morning, followed by a vigorous friction rub with 
a rough towel. This does not mean jumping into 
a tubful of ice-cold water; this is quite unneces- 
sary, and there are few people who can stand the 
resulting shock. But a cool sponge bath of the 
neck and shoulders and chest produces in most 
people, after the rub-down, a comfortable feeling of 
warmth. The skin is thus accustomed to sudden 
changes in temperature and the likelihood of catch- 
ing cold is much reduced. Still better, and for use 
every morning both summer and winter, is the 
shower-bath. The water may be tepid to start, 
and then changed to cold, or may be cold through- 
out. No expensive installation is necessary, be- 
cause quite as invigorating and beneficial an effect 
may be obtained by the use of rubber tubing and 
spray attached to the bath-tub faucet. This may 
be purchased at any drug-store for about one dol- 
lar and has an advantage over the overhead shower 
in not wetting the hair. 

For most people, the hot bath is best taken at 
night before retiring; it is cleansing and soothing. 
Heat opens the pores of the skin and brings the 
blood to the surface, greatly increasing the liability 
of ''catching cold" on exposure; this cannot hap- 
pen if you go immediately to bed. Take the cool 

25 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

bath in the morning ; it is stimulating and acts as a 
tonic to the entire body. 

Remember that if your skin is not kept clean the 
pores become clogged and the action of the skin in 
throwing off waste matter is greatly interfered with. 
This forces the kidneys to do work for which they 
are not intended, and in the long run the health 
is apt to suffer. 

Cleanliness of the mouth is most important. To 
maintain it, you should brush your teeth night and 
morning, using a powder similar to the following, 
which any druggist can make and which is inex- 
pensive and efficient. 

Precipitated chalk 3 parts 

Powdered orris root i part 

If brushed only once a day, the best time is before 
you go to bed; then the food particles cannot fer- 
ment, producing lactic and other acids while you 
sleep. These acids act as a corrosive to the tooth 
enamel; once the enamel is gone, decay progresses 
rapidly and cavities are formed. Once or twice a 
week clean between the teeth with dental floss. 
The brush cannot reach these places and it is im- 
portant that they be kept clean. 

Rule 6. Be as Regular as Possible in All 
Your Habits. — We are all familiar with the result 
of eating at any and all times, and also of irregular 
and broken sleep. It is quite unnecessary that the 
regularity of habits be measured by minutes, but 

26 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 



our meals should, and in most cases can be within 
a quarter or half an hour of the same time every- 
day. 

Freedom from constipation depends on regular 
hours more than 
any other one 
thing. Of course, 
exercise and diet 
count for a great 
deal, but no more 
than a long-estab- 
lished habit of at- 
tention to the 
bowels at the same 
time every day. 
For most people 
this matter is best 
attended to just 
after breakfast 
and before going 
to work. 

It is a familiar 
fact that if we re- 
tire at about the 
same time every 
night, in good sea- 
son, we are pretty 

sure to wake up at the same time in the morn- 
ing. Reaching over to the alarm-clock, we often 
find that it is due to ring in five or ten minutes. 

27 




SIX O CLOCK EVERY MORNING 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

This is an example of a good habit established by 
regularity. 

Remember, then, that habits of regularity are 
especially important as related to our sleep, our 
meals, and attention to the bowels. 

Rule 7. Be Temperate in All Things. — Some 
people think of the word ''temperance'' as applying 
simply to alcoholics, but we may very easily be in- 
temperate as regards our food, in our exercise, 
and in many other things. Essential as eating and 
exercise are, they may easily be overdone. 

Overeating is especially common among Amer- 
icans and is responsible for numerous ills later on 
in life, such as Bright 's disease and gout. A pretty 
good sign of having had enough to eat is the food 
ceasing to taste good. ''Stuffing'' beyond this 
point, or "finishing up" a meal simply because you 
have paid for it or because it has been served, 
is a tax on the digestion, causing it extra and un- 
necessary work. Of the two, overeating is perhaps 
more harmful than eating too little. The effects 
of the former are difficult to remove, whereas those 
of the latter are easily remedied. 

Do not overdo the matter of exercise. Modera- 
tion here, as in everything else, should be borne in 
mind. For one who is comparatively quiet all week 
it is unwise to attempt to walk fifteen or twenty 
miles on Sunday, the first time, or to go to any 
other extreme. Simple fatigue is not harmful, but 
remember to stop there; to push on to the point of 

28 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

exhaustion is decidedly bad and counteracts all the 
good that may have been accomplished. 

A lengthy discussion relative to the temperance 
question would be unprofitable here. As a general 




FOUR STIMULANTS THAT SHOULD BE USED IN MODERATION 
IF AT ALL 



rule, however, it may be said that for a healthy 
person whisky and other strong drinks are a bad 
thing. There is no doubt that less alcohol is being 
consumed eveiy year; people are gradually getting 
away from liquor. This is so because through 
popular education people are beginning to realize 
the harmful effects of strong drink ; employers take 
it for granted that their workers are temperate, 
and, finally, the number of states in which liquor 
is being legislated against is constantly increasing. 
There is no real strength in alcohol, despite the 

29 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

belief of some to the contrary. Liquor may brace 
up a person temporarily, but it is like whipping a 
tired horse, and there is bound to be a reaction. 
Beer is one-tenth as strong as whisky, so that an 
occasional glass, say one or two a week, might not 
be harmful. This is by no means an indorsement 
of the habit of beer-drinking, nor is there any real 
reason for its use. 

As for tea and coffee, their use in moderation by 
healthy, active persons is not harmful. By moder- 
ation is meant one cup of each a day. It is unwise 
to allow children to drink these beverages, as they 
are passing through a formative stage and are more 
likely to be affected by these nerve stimulants than 
are adults. For those who would find it diffi- 
cult to give up coffee, it may be said that there are 
certain preparations of coffee on the market from 
which practically all of the caffein, the poison of 
coffee, has been removed. The removal of this 
caffein does not interfere with the flavor of the 
coffee, but prevents the usual harmful effects of 
excessive coffee-drinking. What has been said of 
coffee and tea is true of tobacco ; used moderately, 
adults suffer little, if any, harm from its use. It 
is the abuse of beer, coffee, tea, and tobacco that is 
harmful, and if we use these stimulants at all we 
should watch ourselves closely that we do not over- 
step the bounds of moderation. 

Rule 8. Wear the Proper Clothing. — For 
the preservation of health it is necessary that a 

30 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

body temperature of 98.6° be maintained. This is 
accomplished partly by the action of the skin 
through the sweat-glands, and also by the small 
blood-vessels which regulate the amount of blood 
which is brought to the surface. The two principal 
things which aid the skin in the performance of its 
function are bathing and proper clothing. The 
subject of bathing has been discussed. 

Being next to the skin, underclothing deserves 
special attention. In the selection of undercloth- 




POROUS OR MESH UNDERWEAR 



ing two things should be borne in mind: i. Its 
conductive properties. ' 2. Its absorbent properties. 
Judged by these standards, porous or mesh under- 
wear is the best, as it is both an excellent non- 
conductor and very absorbent. Because of the 
hundreds of open spaces in mesh underwear, 
there is produced what is practically a layer of air 
between the skin and the outer garments, and air is 
an excellent non-conductor. In winter the non- 
31 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

conducting property of porous underwear plays the 
important part in keeping the body heat in and the 
cold air out. Also, its power of absorption tends 
to keep the skin surface dry by favoring rapid 
evaporation. As a wet, clammy skin is a powerful 
cause in ''catching cold,'' porous or mesh under- 
wear is for this reason a great aid in the prevention 
of colds and other winter ills. For this same reason 
of absorption, mesh underwear is very comfortable 
in summer in assisting in the evaporation of the 
excess moisture which is apt to be present. As a 
matter of fact, unless one is exercising or it happens 
to be unusually warm, porous underwear will keep 
the skin dry and comfortable in summer. 

A great deal of stress has been laid in the past 
on the character of the fiber used in underclothing. 
That is, whether it be wool, cotton, silk, or linen. 
We are beginning to learn, however, that the value 
of underclothing depends not so much upon the 
kind of fiber used in its making as on the way the 
goods are woven. This applies to porous under- 
wear, which is to be had in both linen and cotton. 
Linen mesh is quite expensive, but equal benefits 
may be enjoyed by those wearing cotton mesh in- 
stead, which may be obtained at small cost. It is 
the porous feature that is important, the fact that 
it is linen or cotton or silk being a minor matter. 
If mesh underwear is not used, then woolen under- 
garments come next in value in winter. This is 
because they absorb moisture very well, and be- 

32 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

cause, as usually woven, they have considerable air 
space between the fibers. Cotton and linen fabrics 
are good conductors and consequently are better in 
summer than wool. 

To sum up, while woolen garments are good in 
winter and cotton is good in summer, medium- 
weight mesh underwear is better than either, both 
in winter and in summer. 

Many make the mistake of wearing heavy suits of 
outer clothing in winter in addition to heavier 
underwear. They have in mind the very few hours 
they are in the open, when as a matter of fact they 
are indoors twenty or twenty-two hours of the 
twenty-four, the temperature there often being as 
high as 80° and 85^. This is worse than summer 
heat, for with the windows closed the fresh air 
available in summer is lacking. For this reason 
perspiration is apt to be free, and then the exposure 
on going outside, to a temperature often 50° or 60° 
lower, creates the ideal condition for taking cold. 
The more sensible plan is to wear the same weight 
of outer clothes in winter that we do in summer, 
relying upon the overcoat alone for protection 
when outside. For the success of this plan you 
should, of course, wear either mesh or woolen under- 
wear, and not cotton. Those who have adopted 
this form of winter dress know the comfort and 
decreased frequency of colds that result, and it 
would be difficult to persuade them to return to the 
old practice. It is almost necessary to have both a 

33 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

heavy coat or ulster for the severe weather and a 
light coat for spring and fall use. The ulster might 
be uncomfortable at the latter seasons, whereas 
there are many days when it is unwise to go with- 
out an overcoat of some sort. 

The wearing of *' chest -protectors " is to be con- 
demned. Quite the opposite of protecting, they 
weaken the chest and render the user a much more 




A VALUABLE AID IN THE PREVENTION OF COLDS 



easy prey to colds and other troubles. The reason 
for this is that they make the chest more sensitive 
to the cold. The best ''chest-protector'' is cool 
sponging of the chest every morning, followed by 
vigorous rubbing. For the same reason, it is un- 
wise to wear sweaters indoors. 

All the clothing worn during the day should be 
removed at night, and clean, fresh nightclothes 
put on. 

It is very important that the feet be kept dry 
at all times. Nothing accomplishes this as well 
as rubber overshoes. Unfortunately, these are re- 

34 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

garded by some as a nuisance, but they are one of 
our most valuable aids in combating winter ills. 
To sum up : 

1. Eat the proper amount of nourishing food. 

2. Breathe all the fresh air possible. 

3. Take regular daily exercise. 

4. Get sufficient sleep. 

5. Keep clean. 

6. Be regular in your habits. 

7. Be temperate. 

8. Wear the proper clothing. 

Memorize these eight fundamental rules and try 
to keep them constantly in mind. Nature is very 
generous, and with a little reasonable and intelligent 
co-operation she will always go more than half-way 
to keep us in good health. 

Some of you will read these eight rules and then 
say: ''Pretty good idea. Guess I'll have to try it 
out.'' Then the book will be put aside and that will 
be the end of it. Don't you be one of these. As 
a practical suggestion, and to aid you in making 
the eight rules a reality, the following outline is 
presented. This schedule is to be used simply as a 
guide, for every one will have to lay out a plan to 
suit his or her own particular home and working 
conditions : 

6 A.M. Arise. 

6.00- 6.05 Exercise. 

35 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

6.05- 6.20 Bath and toilet. 

6.20- 6.30 Dress. 

6.30- 6.45 Eat breakfast. 

6.45- 6.50 Attention to bowels. Brush teeth. 

6.50- 7.30 Walk to work. 

12.00-12.30 Wash hands and eat dinner. 

12.30-12.45 Exercise in open air. 

12.45- 1. 00 Rest. 

5.30- 6.10 Walk home. 

6.10- 6.30 Wash hands and eat supper. 

6.30-10.00 Rest and recreation. 

10.00 Brush teeth. Drink glass of water. 

10.00- 6.00 Sleep with windows open. 

Follow such a schedule as closely as you can for 
one week and then at the end of the week check 
up and see where you fell short. Repeat this next 
week and see if you cannot make a perfect score. 
The object of all this is to get yourself in the habit 
of following out the schedule without thinking— 
so that it becomes ''second nature.'' When you 
arrive at this point, you have really accomplished 
something for your health, for you can forget the 
schedule and things will take care of themselves, 
with practically no thought and very little effort 
on your part. 

Remember that you will accomplish more toward 
the prevention of disease by keeping yourself in 
good physical trim than by anything else you can 

36 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

possibly do. It will help to protect you, not only 
against certain diseases, but against disease in 
general. 



II. Use Your Own Towel Only. 

It is not simply a fad or a notion that certain 
diseases may be spread by the use of the same towel 
by several persons 
in common. It is 
such a frequent 
means of spread- 
ing disease that 
many states have 
passed laws for- 
bidding the use of 
the common towel 
in factories, offices, 
and trains. Aside 
from sanitary rea- 
sons, it is not a 
pleasant idea to 
dry the face and 
hands on the same 
towel used by som_e 
one else, especially 
if that person is a 
stranger. Nothing 

could induce you to use another person's tooth- 
brush or eat from a soiled plate in a restaurant until 

37 




THE COMMON TOWEL MUST GO; IT IS A 

DISEASE-SPREADER AND IX MOST CASES 

IS AGAINST THE LAW 





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COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

it had been thoroughly washed. Why is it not 
just as important to use your own towel? It is. 

It is a simple story, the part played by the com- 
mon towel in spreading disease. For example, a 
man suffering with some skin disease or any one of 
a dozen other different diseases washes his face 
and hands and then dries them on the towel, de- 
positing thousands of germs upon it. It is not long 
before the next person comes along and in perfect 
ignorance of who used the towel a few minutes be- 
fore, dries his face and hands on it. Why shouldn't 
he? germs are invisible and the towel looks clean. 
But they are there just the same, waiting for victims. 
After a few days the unfortunate person wonders 
why his face is ' ' broken out . ' ' How plain it all seems 
to us, though, who know how it really happened. 

Individual towels are replacing common towels 
so rapidly that the old-fashioned roller towel is now 
almost a curiosity. In its place we see either the 
neat pile of individual towels — a fresh one for each 
person — or a roll of paper towels ; either method is 
entirely sanitary. Paper towels are not always 
popular when first used, but when it is seen that 
by a little care and intelligent use they really do 
the work, they prove quite satisfactory. 

III. Use Your Own Drinking Glass or Cup. 

What has been said about the common towel ap- 
plies equally to the common drinking-cup. Most 
4 39 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

of us remember distinctly the tin cup on a chain 
which might, have been seen a few years ago at any 
pubHc drinking-fountain in our parks. The com- 
mon drinking-cup was also a familiar sight on rail- 




'COME ON, bill; give me and THE KID A CHANCE 



road trains. They are a thing of the past now, for 
the simple reason that they are against the law. 
The law was not passed for the fun of it, but because 
there were excellent reasons why it should be passed. 
It is a fact that diphtheria, typhoid fever, and cer- 
tain blood diseases are readily spread by the use 
of the common drinking-cup, and it is because the 
public is being rapidly educated to this fact that 
this unsanitary practice is now so seldom seen. 

40 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 




There are a few common drinking-cups left, how- 
ever, here and there, and this will warn you against 
their use. If you are very thirsty and do not hap- 
pen to have a glass 
or cup, you can 
easily make one 
out of paper, which 
will answer the pur- 
pose. Even news- 
paper will do, but 
paper of better 
quahty is prefer- 
able. Fold a piece 
of square paper as 
shown in the dia- 
gram and you will 

have a sanitary drinking-cup which will do very 
well in an emergency. 

There are two sanitary substitutes for the com- 
mon drinking-cup, either of which is good. 

I. Sanitary bubbling fountains,- — ^These are almost 
ideal because the water is pure, cooled to the right 
temperature, and the fountains are usually white 
and attractive, which encourages the frequent 
drinking of water. A simple arrangement some- 
times seen is made by inverting an ordinary tap so 
that it points straight up instead of down; it is 
thus converted into a sanitary drinking-fountain. 
The suggestion to ''bite the bubble'' is a good one, 
as care should always be taken to keep the lips away 

41 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

from the metal or porcelain parts of a bubbling 
fountain. The point is not to see if you can 
drink the water as fast as it flows, but to drink 
it from the top of the jet. 

2. Individual drinking-glasses, — ^To have a glass 
or cup in your locker or desk for your own exclusive 




SANITARY DRINKING-FOUNTAIN; AN IDEAL WAY TO DRINK WATER 



use is a sanitary practice. The objections are, 

however, that the glass gets soiled quickly and it is 

often so much bother to search for it and take it 

to the supply of water that the matter is apt to be 

neglected, with the consequence that you do not 

drink enough. 

42 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

IV. Drink Pure Water Only. 

Fortunately for most of us who live in cities, the 
supply of drinking-water is pure and wholesome. 
Tests of the water are constantly being made by 
experts in the health department, and notice is 




DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW CITIES AND TOWNS CAUSE POLLUTION 
OF A STREAM 

The dots represent sewage which has been thrown into the river; where the 
dots are thickest the pollution is the greatest. 



immediately given if any impurities are observed. 
Only in rare instances does this occur, and for a 
short time only, so that for all practical purposes 
we may consider it safe to drink tap water in our 
large cities and towns, provided we make sure that 
this water comes directly from the city mains. 
At times, however, and especially in the summer, 

43 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

many of us are away from home. At the lake, on 
picnics, or on excursions we are usually near some 
water, but are not sure of its purity. A laboratory 
test would be the only certain way to find out if the 
water is pure, but that, of course, is out of the 
question. If you bear in mind these practical 
points you will be fairly safe: 

Never drink water from the following sources 
unless it has been boiled : 

(a) Along the shores of the lake. 

(b) River water, especially in the neighborhood 
of cities and towns. 

(c) Small creeks or brooks running through or 
near settlements. 

(d) Cistern water. This is usually rain water, 
which was originally pure, but collects germs as it 
passes through the air, and then, after washing off 
the roofs of houses and barns, is conducted into a 
hole in the ground. Such water is never fit for 
drinking purposes. 

(e) Canal water. 

(f) Well water under certain conditions. Some- 
times a well is located so near a privy or other 
source of contamination that it is a simple matter 
for disease germs to pass into and pollute the well 
water. If you don't believe this, look at the photo- 
graph taken in a large American city in August, 
191 6. That the problem is not entirely a rural 
one will be seen when you consider that there are 
still over a thousand privies in use in the same city. 

44 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

The inspectors of state departments of health 
are constantly finding conditions illustrated by the 
diagram (page 43). 

If you happen to be near any of the above sources 
of water-supply and there is no known pure water 




AT THE LEFT IS AN OLD WELL IN DAILY USE FOR THE FAMILY 

WATER-SUPPLY. DIRECTLY OVER THE WELL IS THE CHICKEN-YARD, 

WHILE JUST TO ONE SIDE ARE THE COW-STABLE AND PRIVY. HOW 

DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA? 



at hand, the only safe way is to boil the water 
before drinking. Then and then only will you be 
safe. Boiling the water for ten minutes kills any 
germs present. This applies, of course, to coffee- 
making on picnics ; in the process of boiling the cof- 
fee the germs are killed. Understand, we are not 

45 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

advising you to drink such water, but simply telling 
you the conditions under which it is safe to do so 
in an emergency. 

As far as possible avoid drinking water on trains 
and in theaters, railroad stations, or other public 
places. Individual drinking-cups may be supplied, 
but the handling of ice and water is often carelessly 



GOOD 
WELL 

NOTE THAT BOTTOM 

-OFWEaiSABOVE 

LEVEL OF PRIvy 




done. Often a cake of ice is dragged over a dirty rail- 
road-station platform, cut up, and a piece dropped 
into the water-tank, in direct contact with the water 
used for drinking purposes. To drink such water 
from an individual cup and feel safe is to live in a 
fool's Paradise. 

You can safely drink from 

(a) Springs, provided it is near their source. 
Spring water is pure as it comes from the ground, 
and if taken at that point it has not had a chance 
to become contaminated. 

(b) Large lakes, when the water is taken at a 

considerable distance from the shore. 

46 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

(c) Mountain streams and brooks running 
through wild country. 

(d) Driven wells located at a considerable dis- 
tance from outhouses or other sources of contamina- 
tion. Whenever you drink well water remember 
the diagram shown above. 

Don't get the idea that ''this water business is all 
nonsense." It isn't. Dozens of people come back 
to the city every fall after an outing in the country, 
only to develop typhoid fever and other intestinal 
diseases which were contracted by drinking impure 
water while away from home. The matter of 
water-supply is a most important one, and that is 
why the authorities consider it wise to spend so 
much of our tax money in procuring a safe and pure 
supply. The point to bear in mind is that simply 
because city water is pure you are not justified in 
dismissing the matter and arguing that all water 
is pure. If you realize this now, you will be one 
step nearer the prevention of sickness. 

V. Protect Yourself Against Flies, Mosqui- 
toes, Rats, Mice, and Other Vermin. 

(a) flies 

Most of us screen our houses during the fly 
season, but the reason for doing so in most cases 
is because we do not like to be bothered by the 
flies. There is a much more important reason why 

47 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

we should keep flies out of our homes and away 
from the food we eat ; it is because flies carry the 
GERMS OF DISEASE. To understand more clearly 



A 




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#^ / ^ 




^ 




' % 




V 




'"-y 



THE COMMON HOUSE FLY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SPREAD 
OF MORE DISEASE THAN ANY OTHER INSECT 



how this takes place let us consider something of 
the habits and the life-history of the common house 
fly. 

Habits. — Flies are rapid breeders. As the fe- 
male fly deposits about one hundred and fifty eggs 
at a time, and as the development from egg to adult 
fly requires only ten days, it is easy to understand 
how one fly can be responsible for millions of other 
flies before the summer is over. That is the reason 
why it is so important to kill flies early in the 

48 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

season. The cold weather kills most of the flies, 
but a few manage to survive the winter by crawling 
into cracks or other out-of-the-way places where it 
is warm. The holdovers are the ones that are re- 




A MANURE PILE IN THE CENTER OF A LARGE CITY; AN IDEAL 
BREEDING-PLACE FOR FLIES 



sponsible for the fly crop of the following season. 
A fly killed in April is equivalent to killing millions 
of flies in September. Remember this. It is the 
most important point in connection with the fly 
problem. 

Fly-breeding. — Flies breed in filth, their favorite 
breeding-place being horse manure. In this they 
find warmth, moisture, and food, the three condi- 

49 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

tions necessary for their development. Decaying 
and fermenting garbage also furnishes the proper 
conditions for fly-breeding. 

Fly eggs are smooth and white and look like grains 
of rice, though of course they are very much smaller. 




AT THE TIME THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN THOUSANDS OF 
FLIES WERE FEEDING UPON THE CONTENTS OF THIS CAN 



Under favorable conditions they hatch in about 
twelve hours and produce the white, moving, worm- 
like maggots or larvae familiar to all of us. It is not 
a pleasant thought, but most of us have seen these 
maggots time and again in exposed garbage or on 
the dead body of a rat — they are simply young 
house flies. The maggots soon burrow into the 
substance on which they are located and become 

50 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

transformed into the third stage of their growth, 
as shown in the picture. In this form they are 
darker in color and the wings begin to form. After 
ten days development is complete and the insect 
is ready for flight. 

Flies not only breed in filth, but they continue to 
frequent filthy material as long as they live. They 




Larvae of the Fly 



■i 


■HHIHHii^m^H 


1 


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irtiP^iJwfc^ 


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Pupa of the Fly Eggs of the Fly 

LIFE-HISTORY OF A HOUSE FLY 

leave it only to enter our homes and, by means of 
disease germs carried on the hairy parts of their 
legs, spread disease. Once in the house, it is al- 
most impossible to keep them away from food, as 
they are persistent feeders. Visiting our tables, 
they crawl over the food and contaminate it by 
depositing on it the germs which they have brought 
from manure pile, garbage-can, or privy. In eating 

SI 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

of such infected food you run the risk of contracting 
any one of a number of diseases, such as typhoid 
fever, consumption, or summer diarrhea. 

It has been proven that whenever flies have access 
to the discharges of man through privy or toilet, 
and also to his food-supply, disease is bound to 
occur. This is the explanation of thousands of 
cases of typhoid fever which occurred -during the 
Spanish-American War. Food purchased in fly- 
ridden markets is a source of danger, which is 
greatly increased if the food is eaten uncooked. 

Most cases of summer diarrhea in infants are 
caused by contamination of the milk-supply, either 
before it reaches the consumer or because of care- 
lessness in preparing the babies' bottles. As a re- 
sult seventy thousand infants under two years of 
age die annually in the United States from this 
one cause. The house fly is largely responsible 
for this terrible waste of human life, and if we wish 
to save the lives of these babies the very first step 
in the process is to do away with flies, which are so 
much to blame for this and other fly-borne diseases. 

Fly-destruction. — Flies have natural enemies in 
birds, barn-yard fowls, and spiders, but the good 
they do is of no practical benefit, as they fail to 
materially reduce the fly population. It remains 
for us to fight flies, and the means we have for so 
doing are as follows : 

I. Attack their breeding-places. — ^As long as fly- 
breeding areas exist it is useless to try to solve the 

52 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

problem. Prevent flies from breeding and it will 
not be long before there are no more flies. 

(a) All manure should be placed in closed or 
screened containers so that flies are kept out. 
When manure cannot be covered, it should be re- 
moved every two or three days. By so doing the 
fly eggs will not have a chance to develop full-grown 
flies. This applies also to decaying vegetable mat- 
ter, street sweepings, and other filth. Such refuse 
allowed to remain untouched for more than four 
days necessarily becomes a breeding-spot for flies. 

(b) All garbage should be kept in metal cans 
having accurately fitting lids. When garbage is left 
exposed it becomes a breeding-place for flies and 
also attracts rats and vermin. Garbage-cans should 
be emptied at least once a week, and washed 
out occasionally with hot water and washing-soda 
in order to keep them clean and sanitary. Sunken 
garbage-receptacles are more expensive, but are 
very convenient and satisfactory. In many places 
collections are made twice a week in summer and 
weekly in winter, at the expense of the city. Where 
there is no garbage collection a good plan is to bury 
the garbage in pits dug in the ground, covering it 
with dirt each time the pit is used. In winter, 
when the ground is frozen, there is seldom more 
garbage in the average family than can easily be 
burned in the stove or furnace. 

(c) Ordinary powdered borax will prevent fly eggs 
from hatching. Therefore, as an additional pre- 

54 



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HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

caution sprinkle a little borax in the garbage-can 
daily. 

2. Keep flies out of the house. — The following 
means of fighting flies are given in the order of 
their value : 

(a) Screening of doors and windows that are 
kept open. — This is by far the most important thing 
to do, because, while screens may not keep out all 
flies, they make it an easy matter to kill the few 
that enter. If it is not possible to screen the entire 
house, first attention should be given to kitchen, 
dining-room, and toilet, and all privies should be 
screened. It is especially important that flies be 
kept out of the sick-room, not only because the 
comfort of the patient demands it, but the chance 
of disease transmission is especially great under 
these circumstances. Bear in mind that flies be- 
come dangerous when they contaminate our food, 
so it is essential that they be kept away from those 
places where food is prepared or eaten. 

(b) Fly-swatting. — ^Once flies are in the house 
they can be removed by the use of a wire fly- 
swatter in quicker time than by any other means. 
Such a swatter costs but a few cents, and if used 
energetically will soon rid a house of flies. It 
takes a person's time to do this, however. 

(c) Sticky fly-papers. — ^These are effectual, and 
their principal advantage is that they are *'on the 
job*' night and day and require no attention, once 
they are placed. Their drawback is that they 

S6 




FLY-SWATTER 




ONE OF THE BEST KINDS OF FLY-TRAPS 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

often catch things besides flies and their presence 
about a house does not improve its appearance. 

(d) Fly-traps. — These have been recommended 
by some health departments, and while they require 
only slight attention and do catch flies, still they 
are not nearly so effective as sticky fly-paper. 
Substances poisonous to flies placed in saucers about 
the house are not recommended, because of the 
danger to children and household pets. 

To sum up, if the energy displayed in fly-killing 
campaigns in August and September could only be 
properly spent in the early spring months, and if 
we would realize that strict cleanliness and the 
immediate disposal of all filth and garbage are 
essential throughout the year, the fly problem 
would be largely solved. 

(b) mosquitoes 

To those of us who live in the North and West, 
mosquitoes are not nearly so dangerous as flies; 
there are two reasons for this. In the flrst place, 
although a certain mosquito is entirely responsible 
for the spread of malaria and another for yellow 
fever, practically none of these varieties are ever 
seen in these localities. The ordinary house mos- 
quito with which we are all familiar is simply a 
nuisance and seldom a disease-carrier. Besides, 
mosquitoes do not breed in fllth, as flies do, and on 
this account are less dangerous. 

In certain localities, such as our Southern states 

58 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 



and Panama, the malarial mosquito is common. 
Malaria is spread when this mosquito bites a person 
sick with the disease, sucks his blood, which con- 
tains the germ of malaria, then later bites a well 
person and so 
plants the germ in 
the blood of the 
victim. 

Yellow fever is 
spread in exactly 
the same manner, 
only by another 
kind of mosquito. 
Until yellow fever 
and malaria had 
been conquered on 
the isthmus, it was 
impossible to build 
the Canal. The 

presence of these two diseases forced the French 
to abandon their attempt, and it was not until 
the doctors of the United States army succeeded 
in exterminating the mosquitoes that spread yel- 
low fever and malaria that effective work in the 
Canal Zone was possible. Credit for the Panama 
Canal really belongs more to the army doctors 
than to the engineers. 

Mosquito-destruction. — Since all mosquitoes are 
a nuisance and some carry disease, the only safe 
rule is to do away with them as far as possible. 

59 




THE CAUSE OF THE SPREAD OF MALARIA 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

The destruction of all forms of mosquitoes is ac- 
complished by practically the same methods. 

I. Attack their breeding-places. — ^As mosquitoes 
require shallow, stagnant water for breeding, their 




THE SHADED PORTIONS OF THIS MAP OF THE UNITED STATES 
SHOW WHERE MALARIA STILL EXISTS 



favorite locations are swamps and marshy land. 
Rain water collected in barrels, cisterns, or found 
in empty tin cans, broken bottles, pails, or stumps 
of trees also furnishes ideal conditions for the 
breeding of mosquitoes. All that it is necessary for 
us to do, therefore, is to do away with such stag- 
nant water, and mosquitoes will not be able to 
breed. Swamps and marshy lands should be 

60 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

drained, and we should be particular that no un- 
covered receptacles which might hold water and 
thus become breeding-places are permitted about 
our premises. Where it is not possible to drain off 




AN IDEAL BREEDING- PLACE FOR BOTH MOSQUITOES AND FLIES 

Note the stagnant water in the old dish-pan on the right. 



stagnant water, kerosene-oil poured on the surface 
will form a film which smothers the young mosqui- 
toes or ''wigglers" that come to the surface for air. 
This is an effective method of mosquito eradication. 
2. Screening. — In planning our fly-screens the 
mesh should be fine enough to keep out mosquitoes 
as well as flies. No. i6 mesh wire will accomplish 
this. 

The above are our most effective means of fight- 

6i 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

ing mosquitoes. Their habits are so different from 
those of flies that it is not practical to attempt to 
''swat'' or trap them. Mosquitoes do not fly far 
from their breeding-places, so if you are troubled 
with them you may be sure that the cause of the 
nuisance is near by. Search for it and destroy it. 




<^ourtesy of VV. Lyman Underwood, Cambridge, Mass. 

MOSQUITO-BREEDING 

Actual photograph showing the young mosquitoes (wigglers) coming to the 
surface of the water for air. 



It is a curious fact that while the United States 
government has secured such brilliant results in the 
way of mosquito extermination in Panama and 
Cuba, with the conquest of yellow fever and 
malaria, practically nothing has been done to pro- 
tect its own people against the danger of this insect. 

62 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

So it is up to us as individuals to do our part if the 
mosquito is to be done away with. 

(c) RATS AND MICE 

The principal objection to these little animals is 
that they eat or ruin thousands of dollars' worth of 
goods every year and are destructive in other ways, 
often starting fires by gnawing away the insulation 
of electric wires or by biting the heads off matches. 
However, they are also dangerous to health in 
Asia, Mexico, and the Hawaiian Islands, for the 
reason that a disease called plague is carried only 
by a certain kind of flea that lives on the rat. 
Fortunately, this disease is rare in the United 
States. Rats live in dirty places such as sewers and 
drains, and eat garbage and other refuse, so it is 
probable that when they also have access to our 
food-supply there is danger of its becoming con- 
taminated. Also, the disease caused by trichina 
(small worms) from ''measly'' pork can often be 
traced to the rat. The rat, cat, and hog are the 
only animals known to be infested by trichina, 
the disease in hogs being caused by their eating 
trichinous rats. If we should then eat such pork 
before it has been thoroughly boiled we are in dan- 
ger of getting the same disease. For the reason 
that about one hog in every fifty is infested with 
trichina it is evident that persistent warfare should 
be made against rats in slaughter-houses, butcher 
shops, markets and places where hogs are kept. 

63 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

Rats and mice are prolific breeders, the female 
having her first litter when less than six months old, 
and then producing forty or fifty young in a year's 




A SPREADER OF DISEASE AND THE BEST KIND OF RAT-TRAP 



time. Fortunately for us, rats are cannibals, other- 
wise they would be present in alarming numbers. 

Quite aside from their effect on our health, rats 
and mice are disgusting things to have about the 
premises, so it is well to know the best means to be 
rid of them. 

64 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

1. Starve them. — If all food is carefully put away 
in cupboards or ice-box, and all scraps and garbage 
kept in metal receptacles with tight-fitting covers, 
rats and mice will soon vacate. They must eat, and 
if you do not feed them they will quit your place 
and go and live with some one else who does. 

2. Of course, in grocery-stores, markets, gran- 
aries, and other places where food is to be had for 
the gnawing it is difficult to get rid of rats and 
mice unless the building is made rat-proof. This 
is done by filling their holes with cement or with 
broken glass covered with cement, or by fastening 
tin or other metal over their holes. Rats and mice 
usually select the angles and comers, so these are 
the most important places to protect. It is a good 
plan to do this even in your own home if troubled 
with rats and mice, as it will render their extermina- 
tion more easy. 

3. Traps. — It cannot be emphasized too strongly 
that unless suggestion i is faithfully carried out 
and no food left exposed, few rats and mice will en- 
ter the traps you set. Most of them will not go near 
a trap unless forced to do so in their search for food. 

(a) Kinds of traps. — There are many different 
devices with which to catch rats and mice — wire, 
steel, barrel, spring, and other kinds of traps, but 
only the two most practical for household use will 
be described. The best rat-trap is shown in the 
photograph, and any rat or mouse that snaps this 
trap is almost sure to be caught. Such traps are 

65 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

inexpensive and are supplied in mouse sizes con- 
structed of metal or wood for five cents. In the 
larger sizes, for rats, they cost twenty cents. The 
old-fashioned wire trap is more expensive, costing 




A CHEAP MOUSE -TRAP THAT "GETS THEM" 

about fifty cents, but it has the advantage of always 
being set and capable of catching as many as a 
dozen rats or mice at once. 

(b) Bait. — Cheese is without question the best 
bait for mice. For rats, there is some difference of 
opinion, some preferring to use fried bacon, while 
others like toasted cheese or fish-heads. The 
writer, however, has had most success with raisins 
and corn meal. A single raisin is pressed firmly 
into the small hole in the tread or trigger of the 
trap and com meal sprinkled Ughtly over the 
raisin, on the trap itself, and on the floor for a short 

66 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

distance away from the trap. This bait has 
tempted a rat the first night used after other baits 
had been refused for weeks. 

(c) Hints on setting traps. — As rats and mice 
have a highly developed sense of smell, always wear 
gloves when baiting and setting traps. After 
catching a rat or mouse it is a good plan to set fire 
to a crumpled-up newspaper and pass the entire 
trap through the flames several times. This de- 
stroys any human scent that may be on the trap, 
and also the odor of rat blood that often remains 
on the trap after successful use. By fastening the 
bait on the tread with a piece of thread it is harder 
for the rat to get it off, and in its efforts to loosen 
it is more apt to be caught. When using the wire 
trap set it against a wall, and then throw an old 
sack over it ; rats and mice will enter a trap so ar- 
ranged after they have avoided it for weeks when 
placed in the middle of the room and exposed. A 
single rat is sometimes left in the wire trap as a 
decoy. It is a good plan to bait traps for a few 
nights before setting them, in order to get the rats 
or mice in the habit of visiting them. This is es- 
pecially helpful in the case of the wire trap and is 
done by opening the door in the back. Don't 
expect to rid a place of rats or mice by means 
of one or two traps; have as many as you can 
afford or have time to care for — the more the 
better. 

Too much reliance should not be placed on cats 

67 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

and dogs to keep rodents away. A cat may be 
ever so good a mouser and a dog a good ratter, 
but they usually teach the rats and mice to lie 
low and rarely succeed in entirely ridding a place 
of these pests. The only sure method is starving 
combined with trapping. 

(d) cockroaches and other vermin 

Roaches, or water-bugs, are found principally in 
kitchens, pantries, and bath-rooms. The presence 
of roaches means bad housekeeping, for they must 
have food in order to live. If the premises are kept 
clean and no food is left exposed, cockroaches will 
soon leave for better hunting-grounds. This pest 
is most active at night, and is so quick in seeking a 
hiding-place in the cracks and woodwork that it is 
difficult to catch it. 

If roaches should ever get into your home, dust 
pyrethrutn powder about the places known to be 
frequented by the insects. This powder may be ob- 
tained in any drug-store and is of a brownish color 
when fresh. 

Bedbugs are small, brown insects with very flat 
bodies whose favorite resting-places are, as the 
name indicates, in beds. They much prefer wooden 
bedsteads to iron or brass ones; metal beds are 
easier to clean when they become infested. 

Their flat bodies enable them to hide in the 
narrowest chinks and cracks of beds and walls, 
where they remain during the day. At night they 

68 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

come out for the purpose of sucking blood from the 
occupant of the bed. 

The presence of bedbugs in a house is not nec- 
essarily an indication of neglect or carelessness. 
They may get on the clothing while riding on street- 
cars or trains or may be carried into the house by 
means of trunks or satchels. Also, workmen or 
visitors may introduce them into the house. 

To get rid of bedbugs. — After opening all windows, 
examine and shake bedding, and then hang it out 
of doors to air on a clothes-line. Sprinkle naphtha 
liberally on mattress and pillows and place them 
out of doors also. Brush corners of walls, particu- 
larly over door and window frames and picture- 
moldings. Take bedstead apart, and by means of 
small brushes or feathers introduce plenty of 
naphtha into all joints and grooves. Sprinkle 
naphtha on the carpet also. Then, after leaving 
the room and shutting the door, do not go back 
again until the naphtha has evaporated. Repeat 
the entire process in about a week in order to kill 
the young bugs hatched from the eggs. Naphtha 
is clean, not injurious to furniture or bedding, and 
the odor does not last long. 

In comparison with flies, neither roaches nor bed- 
bugs are important as disease-carriers. However, 
they are usually a sign of dirty surroundings and 
dirty habits, and households which permit such 
vermin to exist are not apt to be careful about the 
really dangerous disease-carriers, house flies. 

69 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

VI. Be Careful Where You Expectorate. 

If you are in perfect health or do not chew to- 
bacco you will not have occasion to expectorate. 
When you do so, it is a' sign that you either have 
catarrh, a cold, or some other trouble. When you 
find it necessary to expectorate always be careful 
where you do so, because lack of care in this particu- 
lar is not only indecent, but is an actual menace to 
the health of others. If you expectorate ''any old 
place'' the sputum (spit) dries, and then in sweeping 
or in walking about over the floors or sidewalks 
it is stirred up and becomes a part of the dust 
which is breathed into the lungs. Sputum always 
contains germs, and, while comparatively harmless 
when moist, becomes a source of danger when it is 
dry. 

(a) At work, — Wherever necessary in the factory 
or workshop, cuspidors should be provided. They 
should contain an antiseptic solution which keeps 
the sputum moist until the cuspidors are cleaned. 
All cuspidors should be cleaned sufficiently often to 
keep them in a sanitary condition. That is your 
employer's part. Do your part by using them 
properly. Expectorate into and not at them, so 
that the floor about the cuspidor does not become 
unsanitary. A sign posted in one factory told the 
story in a rather unpleasant but forceful way. It 
read as follows : ' ' If you spit on the floor at home, 
do so here. We want you to feel at home." 

70 



i 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

(b) At home, — When you have occasion to ex- 
pectorate at home, do so in the water-closet, when- 
ever possible. Otherwise, use your handkerchief. 
When you have a cold, it is a good plan to carry a 
dozen or more square pieces of old muslin or gauze 
in your pocket (some people prefer soft, Japanese 
paper napkins). Use a fresh piece each time you 
are obliged to expectorate, and at the end of the day 
bum the soiled pieces. This is a sanitary practice 
and also saves the trouble or expense of laundering 
a lot of handkerchiefs. 

(c) On the street. — The law recognizes the danger 
of promiscuous spitting by forbidding you to do so 
in the street-cars. This is proper, and the law 
should be extended so as to cover streets and side- 
walks; in fact, some cities already forbid spitting 
on the sidewalk. Where care is not taken in this 
respect, the sun and wind soon dry the sputum 
and the germs it contains are blown about by means 
of the dust. Colds, sore throats, pink eye, and 
other troubles, so common in the late fall and early 
spring, when the streets are not sprinkled or cleaned, 
are believed by some investigators to be due to 
the above conditions. 

VII. Be Careful When You Cough or Sneeze. 

When talking to a person, ordinary politeness de- 
mands that you turn your head to one side when 
you cough or sneeze. In addition, you should hold 
6 71 






^i^:| 

^^i 





COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

your hand or a handkerchief in front of your face. 
One of the surest ways of passing on your cold, 
tonsiUitis, or other such trouble to another person 
is to cough in that person's face. 

VIII. Keep Your Fingers Out of Your Mouth 
AND Nose and Away from Your Eyes. 

It is important to remember that at all times 
(unless just washed) your fingers are covered with 
germs. Just stop a minute and think what you 
touch with your fingers in the course of a day — the 
dirty hand-rail or strap-hangers on the street-cars 
handled by thousands and thousands of people 
and never washed, door-knobs, soiled paper money, 
library books, and dogs or other pets whose habits 
are to roll in dirt and filth. The common habit of 
hand-shaking often forces us all to shake the hand 
of some person whom we would rather avoid, but 
whose feelings we do not care to hurt. All these 
and many other instances serve to illustrate how 
dirty our fingers usually are. The way out of it 
all is not to stop petting dogs, or shaking hands, 
or handling dirty paper money, but to be careful 
what we do with our fingers until they have been 
thoroughly scrubbed and most of the germs washed 
off of them. Unless your hands are perfectly clean 
it is risky to rub your eyes, pick your nose, or 
put your fingers into your mouth. Always use 
your handkerchief when it is necessary to blow or 

n 




< 

H 
X 
O 



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W 
W 

O 

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o 
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H 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

clean your nose, and use only a fresh, clean tooth- 
pick to pick your teeth. There is an old saying that 
if you must rub your eyes, do so with your elbows! 
This advice, if followed, will certainly protect your 
eyes from becoming inflamed because of germs 
brought to them on your fingers. 

One of the principal reasons why so few children 
escape measles, whooping-cough, chicken-pox, scar- 
let fever, and the other childhood diseases is that 
they are constantly putting their fingers into their 
mouths. Children should be forbidden to do this, 
and also kept from putting into their mouths any 
toys, pencils, or candy which has been mouthed or 
handled by others. 

To see some one moistening his fingers in his 
mouth when sorting papers or counting bank- 
notes, all you have to do is to glance in almost any 
office — and then when these people are taken sick 
they complain of their hard luck. Their sickness 
isn't a matter of luck at all, but is due to a disregard 
of the rule, ''Keep your fingers out of your mouth." 
It certainly is easier and quicker to sort papers when 
your fingers are moist, but moisten them on a wet 
sponge and not in your mouth. 

When at a card-party, what a common sight it is 
to see some one, when dealing the cards, moisten 
his thumb in his mouth, so as to deal the cards a 
little faster. In so doing he plants germs from his 
mouth on the cards. Now when it comes your turn 
to deal, if you do the same thing you will be taking 

75 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

his germs into your mouth. This is not a joke; 
it is a fact; and if several people moisten their 
thumbs when dealing cards they are actually exchang- 
ing germs with one another. If one of the number 
happens to be sick, it is one of the best means by 
which his sickness may be spread. 

IX. Wash Your Hands Just Before Eating. 

One of the principal ways that germs get into the 
body is through the mouth, and you have seen how 




THIS BOY IS WILLING TO TAKE A LITTLE TROUBLE TO KEEP CLEAN 



important it is to keep germ-covered fingers out of 
the mouth. Now our food may be ever so clean 
and carefully prepared, and yet, if the hands are 

76 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

not clean, germs may be transferred from fingers 
to food and so into the mouth and system. Most 
of these are probably harmless, but you run the 
risk of getting disease germs in this way. To be on 
the safe side and not take any chances, wash your 
hands as soon before eating as possible. The ideal 
way is to go directly to the table after washing the 
hands. It is very seldom that you cannot do this, 
and once you form the habit you will have succeeded 
in shutting off at least one avenue of infection. 

X. Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day. 




The mouths of persons who are careless about 
their teeth are said to harbor more than fifty dif- 
ferent kinds of bacteria, many of these being disease- 
producers. We are 
told that dirty 
teeth are an impor- 
tant cause of pneu- 
monia, and, next 
to consumption, 
pneumonia kills 
more people than 

any other disease. If these things are so, it certainly 
pays to keep the teeth clean — ^from the health 
standpoint as well as for the sake of personal 
appearance. The best times to brush the teeth 
are the first thing in the morning as a part of 
your toilet, and also the very last thing at night 

77 



ONE OF THE BEST INVESTMENTS YOU 
CAN MAKE FOR TWENTY-FIVE CENTS 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

before retiring. This is the most important time of 
the entire day, for the reason that tooth decay 
progresses most rapidly at night. Brush your teeth 
thoroughly at this time and get rid of most of the 
germs. 

XL Avoid Close Contact with Sick Persons. 

There is no doubt that there would be very 
much less sickness if this rule were more carefully 
observed. It is impossible and quite unnecessary 
to keep away from sick people entirely, for the 
simple reason that either at home, in the street- 
cars, or at work we are constantly mingling with 
people who have some communicable disease. The 
point is not to get close to them — try to keep at 
least an arm's-length away. Doctors and nurses 
who are obliged to be with the sick constantly 
always have this precaution in mind, and it is cer- 
tainly one of the reasons why they are ^ so seldom 
sick themselves. You might as well be sensible 
about it and do the same thing yourself. You will 
not hurt the feelings of any intelligent friend or 
relative if you are careful in this respect, and 
your health will be sure to profit by so doing. If 
you know of a person having diphtheria, scstrlet 
fever, or any other contagious disease, it is all the 
more important not to go close to him. Such sick 
person, if not in a hospital, should be in a room 
by himself, and all visitors forbidden to see him 

78 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

except the one actually engaged in attending the 
case. 

XII. Take Proper Care of the Things Used 
BY Sick People. 

Unless you are positive that the disease is not 
communicable or ''catching," keep everything used 
by the sick person entirely separate from those 
things used by the rest of the family. When you 
are not sure about the matter do it anyway and 
be on the safe side. Probably the most important 
things to have in mind are the dishes, utensils such 
as knives and forks, towels, clothes, and bedding. 
All of these things may be boiled without injuring 
them. In the case of the dishes and utensils, 
boiling for ten minutes each time they are used is 
the safest rule to follow. Do this even in the case 
of hard colds, grip, or tonsillitis. Use old linen or 
muslin for handkerchiefs; collect in a newspaper 
and bum. 

After the illness, or as often as necessary, boil 
all towels, bed linen, and clothes that are washable. 
The other clothes may be laid over chairs and al- 
lowed to air thoroughly, with the windows open, 
for several days. The chemical disinfection of 
rooms after contagious diseases is not so popular 
now as it used to be. The health officers of some 
large cities do not believe in it and have not practised 
it for years. As ''the proof of the pudding is in the 

79 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

eating," it may be said that the death-rate of these 
cities is among the lowest in the country. How- 
ever, the question at the present time is an open 
one, and while many agree that fresh air and sun- 
shine are sufficient for disinfection, there are others 
who believe that more than this is necessary. 

The best method of chemical disinfection is by 
means of formaldehyde. The mattress is rolled up 
and set on its side, dresser drawers are opened and 
contents exposed, and closet doors opened. The 
windows are then tightly closed and sealed with 
strips of gummed paper (made for the purpose), as 
are also all doors but the one leading out of the 
room. When the room is thus made air-tight the 
liberation of formaldehyde is started from a liquid 
preparation of the gas placed in the center of the 
room, after which the remaining door is closed and 
sealed on the outside. The question of fumigation 
will be decided by the physician, and instructions 
will be given and details supervised by him. The 
advantage of the formaldehyde method is that it 
is effective in killing germs, and at the same time 
it is not harmful to household goods, as some other 
methods are. 

It is important to remember that the ideal dis- 
infectant is BOILING and that whenever possible this 
should be the method of choice. The use of for- 
maldehyde is meant for those things that cannot 
be boiled. 

In using a public telephone try not to get close 

80 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

to the mouthpiece. It is quite possible that the 
instrument may have been used only a few minutes 
before you by a consumptive, who, in talking, 
coughed and sprayed the mouthpiece with the germs 
of his disease. Or some one with a cold or ton- 
sillitis or other such communicable disease may 
have used the 'phone just before you. If you put 
your face next to the mouthpiece, what is more 
reasonable than to suppose that you run the risk 
of acquiring disease germs? Better play safe and 
keep at a distance. 

XIII. Be Sure of the Purity and Quality of 
Your Food. 

You may not always be able to afford the choicer 
cuts of meat or other luxuries in the way of food, 
but care should be taken that the food you do buy 
is clean and wholesome. 

(a) The milk-supply. — As impure milk has been 
proven to be one of the causes of typhoid fever and 
tuberculosis, it pays to be sure that the milk you 
use is free from such dangers. Nowadays most 
milk dealers have not only the milk they sell, but 
the conditions under which it is produced, investi- 
gated at frequent intervals by the health depart- 
ment. If you are interested in learning how careful 
your milkman is regarding cleanliness in finding 
out the number of germs in your milk as compared 
with other milk sold in the city, ask for this informa- 

8i 




THE MODERN, SANITARY WAY 




THE OLD-FASHIONED, UNSANITARY WAY 



COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 

tion at the health department. In this way you 
will learn just how your milkman stands as regards 
the purity of his milk; after doing this perhaps 
you may feel like changing milkmen. Above a 
certain point, the health department will not per- 
mit milk to be sold, as it believes such milk to be 
unsafe for use. So you see the city protects you 
from impure milk as well as from impure water. 

If you happen to be out of the city in some place 
where the milk-supply is not so inspected, you will 
be taking no chances if you pasteurize the milk. 

Pasteurization. — ^This simply means heating the 
milk for twenty minutes at a point a little short of 
boiling. 

(b) Meat. — Infection by trichina may result from 
eating infected pork that is not thoroughly cooked. 
It is a serious disease and the way in which it is 
spread was discussed in connection with the subject 
of ''Rats'' on page 63. Tapewcrm.s come from 
eating infected pork or beef that is not thoroughly 
cooked. Most of the meat we eat is inspected by 
United States government officers, consequently the 
danger from this source is lessened, although not en- 
tirely done away with. However, as some meat 
comes directly from country slaughter-houses, we 
should make sure that all beef and pork (especially 
pork) is well done before being eaten. 

The meat of cows having tuberculosis, foot-and- 
mouth disease, and lumpy jaw is also condemned by 
the Federal inspectors. 

83 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

Do not patronize dirty markets or stores. If the 
place is dirty, the food is more than apt to be dirty 
also. If your tradesman does not cover exposed 
fruit, vegetables, and other food in order to protect 
it from flies, tell him that unless he does so you will 
trade elsewhere. When he finds that a clean store 
and properly protected food mean holding his cus- 
tomers, he will be careful in this particular. 

(c) Uncooked food. — Such articles of food as 
celery, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, pears, and other 
fruits that are eaten uncooked and often without 
being peeled, should be purchased in clean stores 
only and thoroughly washed before being eaten. 
In the case of bananas, oranges, and melons this 
precaution is not so important, because the skin 
or rind serves to protect the fruit from dirt. Oysters 
which are obtained from waters polluted by sewage 
are often responsible for cases of typhoid fever. 

Do not permit any sick person to aid in the prepara- 
tion of your food. — The reason for this must be 
clear to all after reading the above. Realizing the 
importance of the preparation of food only by 
persons in good physical health, some cities and 
employers provide for the examination of all those 
who work in restaurants, dining-rooms, and kitch- 
ens. In this way, no one having any communicable 
disease is permitted to come into contact with the 
food. 

''Delicatessen'' food. — It is expensive and unwise 
to make a practice of buying prepared food in 

84 




THE OLD-FASHIONED, UNSANITARY WAY 




A MODERN, SANITARY METHOD 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

*' delicatessen " food shops. Such food is usually 
exposed, and is sometimes kept for so long a time 
on the counter before being sold that it spoils suf- 
ficiently to cause ptomaine poisoning, although it 
may taste all right when eaten. 

Flies and food. — The important part played by 
flies in the spread of disease was thoroughly ex- 
plained in connection with the fly problem. 

XIV. Avoid Dust. 

Particles of dust have been likened to chariots 
on which the germs ride, being carried in this way 
from place to place. It is known to be a fact that 
a considerable part of the dust on floors, sidewalks, 
and streets is composed of germs, not all living, to be 
sure, but many of them alive and simply waiting 
to be planted on favorable soil in order to mul- 
tiply and produce disease. Such soil is found in 
the noses, throats, and mouths of people. When- 
ever possible, therefore, we should avoid dust. This 
is one reason why the streets are sprinkled. 

Vacuum cleaning is by far the most effective 
means of cleaning, as well as being the most sanitary 
way. Vacuum cleaners are now used in many fac- 
tories and homes, and from the health standpoint 
they have the great advantage of raising no dust. 
Excellent as they are, however, they will have to 
cost considerably less than they do now before 

they can be used in most homes. 

86 




1 




1 


1 


s 


ifll^Eat^^HEdCrz^^^^^^Er^^ai^^^H^Hi^t 


r 


:i 


l^^^g 



THESE TWO BACK YARDS ARE ACTUALLY NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER 

Study them caremily; they show the difference in results between shiftlessness 
in one case and a little care and planning in the other. 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

Carpets that are tacked down and cover the en- 
tire floor are unsanitary, especially when cleaned 
by dry sweeping with a broom. Even if the win- 
dows are thrown open a good deal of dust is inhaled, 
and this is unhealthful. Fortunately, hardwood 
floors and rugs have almost entirely taken the place 
of tacked-down carpets. The rugs may be taken 
outside and beaten on the line, and then little or no 
dust is inhaled. 

In sweeping office or factory floors, wet sawdust 
or pieces of water-soaked newspaper should be 
scattered on the floor to keep the dust from flying. 

XV. Housing. 

A person's home has a direct bearing on his 
health. Any one who lives in a bright, attrac- 
tive, detached house with a yard large enough 
for a few flowers and vegetables is better off 
than one who chooses to live cooped up in a 
dark and gloomy tenement or flat. In other 
words, those living in a tenement are working 
under a handicap. 

An investigation of the rents charged in the 

average American city for two or three-room flats 

showed that while, as a rule, the single house rents 

for more than the flat — four to five dollars a week 

in the case of the house, and two and a half to three 

dollars for the tenement — it is well worth more than 

the difference in cost. 

88 




SIX-ROOM COTTAGE WITH IMPROVEMENTS 

This little place, with fruit trees and back yard large enough for a garden, 
is only twenty minutes' walk from the center of the city; it rents for four 
dollars and fifty cents a week. 




FIFTEEN DIFFERENT FAMILIES LIVE IN THIS COURT 

Each has three rooms for which two dollars and fifty cents a week is paid. 
They are poorly lighted and ventilated and there are no trees or garden space. 
The cottage rents for nearly double the tenement, it is true; but don't you 
think it is worth the difference, from a health standpoint? 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

A house has the following advantages over a 
tenement or flat: 

(a) More room. Sometimes by renting a spare 
room, the cost of the house is brought down to 
that of a flat. 

(b) More sunlight and fresh air, the house being 
open on four sides. 

(c) Garden. Raising vegetables and beautifying 
a place with plants and flowers are healthful and 
profitable occupations. Small vegetable-gardens 
help to reduce the cost of living, and occasionally 
there will be a surplus over and above the family 
needs which may be converted into cash. 'Gardens 
also promote health by bringing members of the 
family into the fresh air and sunshine. 



i 



Part II 

RESISTING POWER; ANTITOXINS AND 
VACCINES 



(A) Resisting Power 

BY ''resisting power" is meant the ability of the 
body to put up a fight against disease germs. 
It is impossible to keep germs entirely out of the 
body; a few are constantly entering through the 
mouth by means of food and water; through the 
nose by means of the air we breathe ; and by way of 
the skin through the small cuts and scratches which 
cannot always be avoided. In pointing out the 
necessity of a clean water-supply, the importance of 
protecting food from flies and of keeping dirty 
fingers out of the mouth, the idea was to show 
you how to avoid taking millions of germs into the 
system. A single germ will not produce a disease, 
nor will several — you must get a fair-sized dose of 
them; and even then if your resisting power is 
good against that particular kind of germ you are 
reasonably safe. It is very ranch like a load on a 
bridge, where the load represents germs, and the 
bridge the body's resisting power. It is clear that 
a weak, wooden bridge will stand only a very light 
load, and that a strong, steel structure will stand 
an unusually heavy load, but the load can be so 
great that even the strong bridge will give way. 
It is just so with the body — it is possible for a 

93 




HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

strong, healthy person with good resistance to get 
sufficient germs into his system to make him sick, 
although this does not usually happen. Our object 
at all times should be twofold: first, to maintain a 
wStrong resisting power by attention to food, exer- 
cise, and fresh air — keep the bridge strong. Second, 
take the least possible number of 
germs into the system — make the 
load as light as we can. What you 
have read so far tells you how to 
accomplish these things. 

The body is constantly engaged 
THESE ROD -LIKE '^'^ killing off discasc germs which 
GERMS ARE THE entcr it every day. Let us see just 

CAUSE OF CON- . 

SUMPTION how this is accomplished. The 

simplest way to understand how 
nature protects us against disease is to compare 
the body with our country. Suppose an enemy 
attempted to land somewhere on our seacoast; 
there would at once be a fight between the in- 
vaders and our ''first line of defense'' — the navy 
and coast artillery. In place of the imaginary 
enemy, put the germs which cause blood poison; 
and instead of navy and artillery, the skin, 
which, in the case of cuts, pin-pricks, and other 
wounds, is the human first line of defense. Then 
we have exactly what happens when germs try to 
invade our bodies. In order to be safe the skin 
must be unbroken; there must be no cuts or 
scratches. Just as long as the skin is unbroken 

94 



RESISTING POWER 

germs cannot enter. We know this to be true, 
for there are millions of germs on the skin all the 
time, but they are powerless to harm us as long as 
the skin keeps them out. The reason we put tinct- 
ure of iodine on cuts or when the skin is injured 
is to kill the germs that are sure to be on hand. 
The iodine does this just as surely as the rapid- 
fire machine-guns would kill the enemy's soldiers 
that had been able to make a landing on our shores. 
Suppose we pay no attention to skin injuries, what 
happens? Exactly the same thing as if the enemy 
succeeded in landing a few soldiers at some unpro- 
tected spot. They would intrench themselves, 
wait for reinforcements to come, and advance in- 
land. That is just what the germs do. If not 
killed at once, they get a foothold and are reinforced 
by multiplying, because they find ideal conditions 
to do so in the warmth and moisture of the body. 
They then advance inward by means of the blood. 
To carry the illustration further, the soldiers 
would not get very far before they met a ''second 
line of defense," perhaps the militia or a patriotic 
band of citizens hurriedly organized. In the body, 
these defenders are the white blood cells, and they 
usually succeed in getting the best of the germs. 
Suppose, however, that some time passes, the 
militia loses the battle, and the enemy, much rein- 
forced, prepares to capture the capitol of the 
country. By this time the regular army is in 
action and, meeting the invading armies, the decid- 

95 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

ing battle is fought. If our army is too small and 
poorly trained — inefficient — we would lose and our 
country would be conquered. Exactly the same 
thing happens in the body. We have a ''regular 
army'' which consists of certain protective sub- 
stances circulating in the blood. If you are in good 
physical condition when attacked the germs do not 
have a chance — they are killed and lose the battle. 
But if you are poorly nourished, short of sleep and 
neglect your health in other ways, the germs ''take 
hold'' and you stand a good chance of losing, and 
losing a vital battle with disease germs means but 
one thing — death. 

Resisting power may be of several different kinds : 

1. That which we have when we are horn. — There 
is no question but that some people have a special 
protection against certain diseases. Take diph- 
theria, for instance, one of the contagious diseases. 
Some people go through life exposed to it occa- 
sionally and never contract it. They must have 
been bom with this protection, and, as in the game 
of tag, when diphtheria comes around, their 
"fingers are crossed." 

2. That which is manufactured by the body during 
life, — The body has the power of forming anti- 
bodies (defenders) when needed, to combat any 
kind of disease gerra which gets into the system. 
The better the condition of the body at the time, 
as determined by the amount and kind of food, 
rest, fresh air, and exercise that we get, the faster 

P6 



RESISTING POWER 

will these antibodies be formed and the greater 
their number ; the result is that the disease is either 
prevented or cut short in most instances. In fact, 
the body as a rule goes further than this; it pro- 
duces considerably more antibodies than are actu- 
ally needed. This is in line with nature's general 
policy; the heart, for instance, has a reserve power 
which fits it for extra or unusual exertion; the air 
breathed into one lung is sufficient to support life, 
the reserve being given us in case the other lung 
should be lost. And so in the matter of disease 
nature also over-provides. After recovery from 
many diseases such as measles, scarlet fever, small- 
pox, and typhoid fever, the extra antibodies formed 
in the blood, over and above those needed for re- 
covery, remain in the blood throughout life. This 
is a wonderful provision of nature, for it means 
that we are permanently protected against such 
diseases and can rarely, if ever, contract them again. 
3. That which is given to the body. — The protection 
from future attacks of a disease as a result of having 
had such disease, as discussed above, is something 
which the body has to fight" for. It is something 
like the Belgians' fight for their neutrality — 
neutrality and independence are good things to 
fight for, of course, but by fighting for them their 
country got pretty well battered up in the process. 
And so the body is often battered up and left in a 
crippled condition after certain diseases. A person 
may recover from scarlet fever and never have it 

97 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

again, but in gaining this protection he may have 
to pay the price of going through life deaf or with a 
crippled heart. Do you not see, then, the ad- 
vantage of obtaining protection against certain 
diseases without the risk or discomfort of even 
being sick? Medical science has made it possible 
to do this in the case of diphtheria, lockjaw, menin- 
gitis, and a certain variety of pneumonia by means 
of antitoxins; these will be more fully discussed 
later under these diseases. 

(B) Vaccines and Antitoxins 

What They Are and How They Act. — One 
way to explain the action of these valuable remedies 
is to use the same illustration we did in explaining 
the resisting power of the ^body when we compared 
germs with enemy soldiers. 

Vaccines. — Picture this country at peace, with 
every one busy at his work and the thought of 
war very distant in all minds. Can you imagine 
the effect of the visit of a hostile airship over 
New York City? Bombs are dropped, destroying 
buildings, and warnings given that a fleet of air- 
ships will soon follow which may be counted upon 
to destroy or capture our principal cities. There 
would be but one result of such an occurrence — • 
volunteers for the defense of the country would 
appear by the thousands and an army of citizen 
soldiers would be formed at once. It would make 

98 



ANTITOXINS AND VACCINES 

no difference if the airship and all its crew had been 
destroyed, so that no immediate danger threatened. 
The country would be so stirred by what had hap- 
pened that it would organize for its own defense, 
so that if the warning should come true it would 
be ready for the attack. This is not hard to under- 
stand, for it is only what every intelligent person 
knows would happen. 

Vaccines act in precisely the same manner. A 
vaccine is made up of several million dead germs, 
all of the same kind. By injecting these into the 
body, antibodies (defenders, or home soldiers) are 
immediately produced which attack the dead germs 
and get rid of them. As we saw^ before, nature 
produces more antibodies than are actually needed, 
the extra ones remaining in the blood and serving 
to protect the body from other disease germs of the 
same kind that might come in the future. Every 
disease germ produces different kinds of antibodies 
which protect only against the one disease. It 
would be a wonderful thing if protection might be 
obtained against all germ diseases in this way, 
but scientists have not as yet been able to dis- 
cover or grow all the different kinds of germs, al- 
though they may be able to do so some day. At 
present we have a number of vaccines, the most 
valuable being those of typhoid fever, whooping- 
cough, and boils or carbuncles. 

Antitoxins. — In the case of antitoxins, these are 
produced in animals, usually the horse, in very much 

99 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

the same way that antibodies are formed in people 
by injecting vaccines. Antitoxins are later inject- 
ed into people when needed. Like vaccines, they 
either prevent or cure certain diseases, the most 
important being diphtheria, lockjaw, spinal menin- 
gitis, and a certain form of pneumonia. The forma- 
tion of antitoxin in horses for use later in people is 
like raising an army in Canada and sending it over 
to Europe for the protection of Belgium. Canada 
has all the effort and expense, while Belgium 
reaps the benefit; the horse feels sick while manu- 
facturing the antitoxin, but we get the protection 
without any discomfort or risk. 

Given properly by a competent physician, anti- 
toxins and vaccines are harmless and never cause 
blood poison. 

If you have grasped the underlying ideas of what 
you have read so far, namely, that communicable 
diseases are for the most part caused by germs, 
and that the spread of such diseases is brought 
about by means of these same germs, you will be 
on the road to your goal — the prevention of sick- 
ness. Do not be discouraged if occasionally you 
have a cold or are sick in some other way. Do not 
say: ''Oh, what's the use of being careful? I took 
all the precautions and here I am sick.'' Would 
you be in favor of abolishing the fire department 
because we still have fires? No, you say, that 
would be foolish, because there are not as many 
fires or as bad fires as there would be if we did 

lOO 



ANTITOXINS AND VACCINES 

not have the department. It is the same way 
with sickness; if you take reasonable precautions, 
you positively will not be sick as often as you 
otherwise would be, and when you do get sick the 
attack will be milder and you will get well quicker 
than you would if you had disregarded the rules of 
health and sanitation. 



Part III 

SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR 
CERTAIN DISEASES 



(I) Tuberculosis (Consumption) 

OF all deaths, tuberculosis is the cause in about 
one out of every ten. In fact, it is the prin- 
cipal cause of death if we except heart disease. 
From this it will be seen what a serious problem 
confronts us if we hope to stamp out this disease. 
Thirty-five years ago, when the exact cause of 
tuberculosis was unknown, the disease was much 
more prevalent than it is to-day. As the cause 
and prevention of tuberculosis have become under- 
stood, however, the death-rate has declined. It is 
not too much to hope that if our present knowledge 
is intelligently applied, the next hundred years will 
see tuberculosis in the same position that smallpox 
now occupies — a comparatively rare disease and 
under perfect control. 

To understand the prevention of tuberculosis, 
it is necessary to know a few fundamental facts 
about the disease. It is safe to say that no disease 
can affect so many parts of the body as tubercu- 
losis. The lungs, kidneys, bowels, brain, bones, 
joints, glands, and skin — all may be affected by 
the germs of tuberculosis. The disease attacks 
the lungs so much more frequently, however, that 

105 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

for our purposes it will be sufficient to consider 
just this form of tuberculosis. 

The principal source of infection in tuberculosis 
is the sputum (spit) of persons suffering with bad 
cases of consumption. Sputum is usually coughed 
up by such persons and during this act of coughing 
a fine spray is thrown from the mouth of the 
cougher which may go for a distance of several 
feet. Such sputum in the form of spray may con- 
tain millions of germs, and carelessness in this re- 
spect is one of the main reasons why tuberculosis 
continues to be such a prevalent disease. Not 
every one who has tuberculosis expectorates — it is 
usually only those who have had the disease for 
some time. These persons are the principal 
sources of danger and are the ones who should 
take special care to avoid infecting others. Un- 
fortunately, all persons with tuberculosis are not 
careful; therefore, it becomes necessary for those 
of us who are healthy to take certain precautions 
for our own safety. 

Age and Tuberculosis. 

(A) From birth up to one year of age is the 
most serious time of life to contract this disease. 
Babies catch tuberculosis as readily as they do 
measles or scarlet fever, and almost all of those who 
do die as a result. 

(B) From birth up to the age of fifteen is the 
period in which most children become infected with 

io6 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

the disease, and this is especially true of those living 
in cities and towns. By *' infected'' we mean that 
the germs of tuberculosis have been taken into the 
system. It is estimated that in the first fifteen 
years of life nine out of every ten persons become 
thus infected. This does not necessarily mean, 
however, that they develop the disease, tuber- 
culosis. What happens is that the diseased por- 
tions of the lungs are healed by nature by means 
of a ''walling off" process; that is, the germs are 
surrounded and imprisoned and remain so as long 
as the general health of the body is maintained. 
In fact, in such cases these healed spots are really 
responsible for the comparative protection from 
tuberculosis possessed by most of us. 

Whether or not real tuberculosis develops during 
this period depends upon two things: (i) The 
number of germs taken into the system at one time 
— in other words, the dose. (2) The particular re- 
sistance of the child to the germ of tuberculosis. 

In case one gets a large dose of the germs or 
is ''run down,'' or both, tuberculosis is apt to 
start up. 

(C) From fifteen to thirty. Between these ages 
the chances of developing active tuberculosis are 
the greatest. The danger lies not so much in 
** catching" the disease from other persons (such as 
exposure to a careless consumptive) as it does in 
permitting the body to become run down. Let this 
happen, and only a few germs are then necessary 

107 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

to start the disease going, and these may easily 
come from almost any place in cities where crowds 
gather. What most often occurs, however, is that 
the infection (which most of us have acquired 
before we are fifteen) flares up when the body re- 
sistance is lowered and permits tuberculosis to 
develop. 

How does a person get run down? This is no 
mysterious occurrence which ''just happens'' and 
which can be charged to ''hard luck''; there are 
certain very good reasons why a person becomes 
run down. This is brought about by late hours, 
poor food, bad air in crowded rooms, worry, too 
much "booze" and other excesses, overwork, over- 
study, and a hundred and one other things. Just 
a word to explain what is meant by overwork. 
Eight or nine hours of pleasant work every day, 
in a well-ventilated place, is good for any healthy 
person, provided he lives properly during the re- 
maining fifteen hours. If such work does not agree 
with you it is a sign that you are not well and that 
you should not be working at all. Overwork 
means putting in ten or eleven hours a day in a 
dusty or "stuffy" room, taking half an hour to 
snatch a bite for supper, and then spending the 
evening teaching, giving dancing-lessons, attending 
night school, or doing something else which requires 
close application; in a word, trying to hold down 
two jobs at once. Perhaps the reason that persons 
from fifteen to thirty are most apt to develop 

io8 





WHEN A CONSUMPTIVE EXPECTORATES 

He should not "aim at" a cuspidor, or "any old place," but should use a 
pasteboard sputum-cup with metal container. Once or twice daily the paste- 
board cup is taken out and burned and a new one inserted. 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

tuberculosis is because they are just the ones who 
try to do these things. 

The older a person becomes after thirty the less 
likely he is to develop tuberculosis. 

Prevention of Tuberculosis. 

(A) Proper care of serious cases, — It is best, both 
for the patient and for the public, that such persons 
be treated in hospitals or sanatoriums. This pre- 
vents scattering enormous numbers of germs. In 
case the patient does not go to a hospital, the 
following precautions should be observed: 

1 . The expectoration should always be deposited 
in a pasteboard box made for the purpose and 
burned daily. 

2. When coughing in the presence of others, a 
soft paper napkin should be held before the face 
and later burned. 

3. The teeth should be brushed once or twice 
daily, over the toilet and not the wash-basin. 

4. The sick person's room should be cleaned with- 
out stirring up any dust, using a moist cloth or, 
better still, a vacuum cleaner. 

5 . The use of separate eating and drinking utensils. 
Under such precautions, consumptives make safe 

companions. This is proven by the fact that 

physicians and attendants living in hospitals for 

advanced cases of consumption do not develop 

tuberculosis as readily as persons working in offices 

or factories. 

no 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

(B) Catching the disease in time. — Gradual loss of 
weight; loss of energy and ambition and fatigue 
on slight exertion; pleurisy; spitting of blood; 
chronic indigestion ; persistent tickling cough in the 
throat — all these are signs that the health is im- 
paired and call for a careful medical examination. 
Examination should always be made with the chest 
bare, any expectoration should be examined under 
the microscope and the temperature should be 
taken both morning and afternoon for several days. 
The combination of symptoms mentioned usually 
means that active tuberculosis is starting. If treat- 
ment is begun at once most cases will recover. 

(C) Adtdts. — I. The rule ''keep the body in the 
best possible physical condition" applies to tuber- 
culosis probably more than to any other one 
disease. This is accomplished by eating plenty 
of good, nourishing food, regular hours of sleep 
and work, and daily exercise in the open air. 

2. Avoidance of close exposure to a careless con- 
sumptive. By ''close exposure" is meant living in 
the same house, or, worse still, sleeping in the same 
bed with some one known to be suffering with 
tuberculosis, or permitting him to cough in your 
face. The danger is greatly increased, of course, if 
the sick person refuses to take the precautions given 
above. 

It has not been positively proved whether the 
greatest chance of contracting tuberculosis lies in 
exposure to a careless consumptive or by a "flare 

III 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS ' 

up'' of an infection which is present in nine out of 
ten of every one of us. Although it is probably 
by the latter method, either or both are apt to 
occur. The important thing to remember is 
that if you keep your general health up to the 
highest point of efficiency you will be protected 
against both. 

(D) Infants and young children, — i. Do not per- 
mit your child to live in the same house with a 
consumptive. 

2. Do not take infants in arms into crowded 
places or street-cars. 

3. As tuberculosis may be contracted from cows 
by means of milk, breast feeding is much safer than 
bottle feeding. When this is not possible, then 
be sure that the bottle milk is pasteurized. 

(II) Pneumonia 

It has long been known that the germs of pneu- 
monia may be found in the mouths of most of us 
at all times. It was thought that when our resist- 
ing power became lowered the pneumonia germs 
got their chance and that this was the way the 
disease developed. However, an important discovery 
made very recently by scientists working at the 
Rockefeller Institute in New York shows that this 
is only partly true. They found that there are 
four different kinds of pneumonia germs and that 

the variety usually found in the mouth is the least 

J.J 2 




SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

harmful of the four. When the resisting power of 

the body is lowered, a mild form of pneumonia, due 

to this particular kind of germ, is likely to result. 

Severe attacks of pneumonia, however, were found 

to be due to another kind of germ, 

which, unlike the one just described, 

came from some one else suffering 

with a serious attack of pneumonia. 

This important discovery means 

that pneumonia often is a contagious 

disease and that with pneumonia 

,1 1 , . . , THESE GERMS, IN 

the usual precautions agamst con- pairs, cause 
tagious diseases should be taken. pneumonia 

Having in mind these facts, then, 
the PREVENTION OF PNEUMONIA is accomplished as 
follows : 

1. Avoid those influences which lower the re- 
sisting power' of the body. The principal things 
which do this are the abuse of alcohol and per- 
mitting yourself to become thoroughly fatigued. 
Because men as a class drink more than women 
and as a rule become more exhausted, this is the 
reason why there are so many more cases of 
pneumonia among men. Drinkers are an easy 
prey to pneumonia. 

2. Avoid close contact with any one known to 
be sick with pneumonia. This is especially impor- 
tant until the doctor makes a test which tells just 
what variety of the disease is present. If it should 
prove to be the mild type, extreme caution as re- 

113 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

gards keeping away from the patient will not be 
necessary. 

3. Observe the general measures outlined in 
the first part of the book, such as care about 
spitting in public places, care in coughing and 
sneezing and the use of common drinking-cup and 
towel. 

While it is not a preventive of pneumonia, it is 
well to know that the Rockefeller Institute has 

Deaths FROM Pneumonia.Bronchitis,Colds and Grip 

WINDOWS SHUT ^ tvMw TdrA: Cttp 




IN winter: in go the people, down go the windows. 

UP GOES the death-rate 



produced a serum which is very effective in the 
treatment of one form of pneumonia. Fortunately 
for us, this is the commonest form and also the one 
which is most fatal. As soon as the doctor pro- 
nounces a case ''pneumonia,'' a specimen of the 
sputum should be sent to the health department 
and in less than twelve hours he will know what 
type of pneumonia he is dealing with. If it proves 
to be type i , the serious type, and the serum is given 

114 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

at once, many lives will be saved which would 
otherwise be lost. 

It is a fact that the death-rate from pneumonia 
is much higher in winter than in summer. During 
the months of July, August, and September there 
are the smallest number of deaths, and in these 
months the windows are open almost all of the time. 
The high death-rate in winter is no doubt due 
partly to the custom of shutting our windows tight 
and living in an overheated and poorly ventilated 
atmosphere. 

(Ill) Diphtheria 

Diphtheria is a contagious disease which affects 
the nose and throat. A ''membrane" forms which 
partly covers the lining of the nose or throat and in 
which grow the diphtheria germs. The principal 
reason why diphtheria is a dangerous disease is 
because the genns produce a powerful poison or 
toxin which circulates in the blood, reaching all 
parts of the body. If the disease is neglected this 
toxin increases in am.cunt and damages the various 
organs, particularly the heart, and though it is not 
always known at the time, diphtheria may in this 
way lay the foundation for heart disease. 

While diphtheria may occur at all ages, it is es- 
pecially common between two and six. If your 
child has a sore throat be sure to call in the doctor at 
once; by means of a ''culture'' he can find out 
positively whether or not the trouble is diphtheria. 

IIS . • 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



Cultures. 

Culture outfits are supplied free of charge to 
physicians by the health department and consist of 
two glass tubes. In the first tube is a cotton swab 

fastened on a stiff wire; 
in the other tube is a 
small amount of blood 
serum. Both tubes are 
then plugged with cotton, 
after which tubes, swab, 
serum, and cotton are all 
made free from germs be- 
fore use. When used, the 
swab is rubbed on the 
tonsils and back part of 
the throat and immedi- 
ately rubbed over the 
surface of the blood serum 
and the cotton plugs then 
replaced. The tube con- 
taining serum is now 
placed in an incubator 
overnight . An incubator 
is a small oven in which 
the temperature is kept 
the same as that of the human body. If any 
germs are present they have a chance to grow 
and multiply the same as they would in the 
throat. The idea of making cultures is that if 

ii6 




CULTURE TUBES 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

only a few germs were rubbed off on the cotton 
swab we might not be able to find them, but after 
they have been placed on the right sort of food, 
and have been allowed to grow and multiply for 
fifteen hours in the incubator, there will be many 
millions of them and they can then^be readily seen 
with the microscope. 

Diphtheria-carriers. 

Before the cause and prevention of diphtheria 
were well understood it was mistakenly believed 
that the disease might be made to disappear if 
every known case of diphtheria was kept away from 
all other people. We now know, however, that the 
disease is kept alive by the presence among us of 
those who are known as ''carriers.'* Carriers are 
persons who harbor the germs in their throats, 
although they themselves are apparently perfectly 
well and have no symptoms of the disease. They 
can give the germs to other people by coughing or 
by using the same drinking and eating utensils used 
by others. The unfortunate fact is that carriers or 
mild cases of actual diphtheria may give the disease 
to some one else in its most severe form. 

It is known that about one in fifty of all ap- 
parently well children and adults are carriers of 
diphtheria. What does this fact mean? It means 
that every susceptible child that goes to school is in 
danger of catching diphtheria from a carrier. A 
mother may be able to keep her child from those 

117 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

known to have the disease, the school-teachers can 
prevent such a child coming to school, but neither 
she nor they can protect a susceptible child from 
the carrier unless it has first been made safe. 
There is a way to do this which will be explained 
shortly. If we are to cause diphtheria to disappear 
it is not enough merely to treat the actual cases; 
we must discover and treat the carriers. Only then 
can we get rid of diphtheria. The carrier is the 
greatest danger to the public health and he alone 
allows diphtheria to remain a menace to every one. 
Only by taking cultures from suspicious throats 
can we discover and treat the carriero 

Shick Test. 

You have learned about '* carriers," how danger- 
ous they are to every one and how they can give 
diphtheria to others without themselves being sick. 
How valuable it would be to you if you could be 
certain that your child was not liable to catch 
diphtheria; or, if susceptible, how he might be 
made free from the danger of taking it. Your 
doctor can tell you who is likely to catch diphtheria 
and who is not, after he has made a simple test called 
the ^' Shick test." 

This is done by injecting two drops of a very weak 

preparation of diphtheria toxin into the skin of the 

forearm. If the child has enough natural antitoxin 

in his system it will use up the two drops of the toxin 

and nothing will ever show where it was injected. 

ii8 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

If he has not enough antitoxin, there will be a red 
mark on the arm about the size of a quarter-dollar. 
If your child gets this red spot you may know that 
he is susceptible, and then you should have him 
vaccinated. After that he is not apt to catch 
diphtheria. If no red spot of the kind described 
occurs, he is naturally safe from the disease. 

Prevention of Diphtheria. 

1. Find out who is susceptible by means of the 
Shick test. This is especially important when a 
case of diphtheria occurs ; all the other members of 
the family should learn in this way whether or not 
they have a natural protection against the disease. 

2. In case this natural protection is lacking they 
should either be vaccinated or take sufficient anti- 
toxin to make them safe. 

Antitoxin. — You have learned in a ge^ieral way 
what antitoxins are; let us see just what diphtheria 
antitoxin is and how it is obtained. In the first 
place, a healthy horse is selected; horses are used 
because they are large, clean, and convenient 
animals. Then a very small quantity of the 
diphtheria poison or toxin is injected into a vein. 
Just enough is injected to make the horse slightly 
sick. His system immediately begins to manu- 
facture the antitoxin which accumulates in his 
blood. In a short time the horse is well again and 
a larger amount of toxin is then injected. This 
process is kept up until the horse can stand enor- 
9 119 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



mous doses of the poison without even being made 
sick, for his blood is now so full of the antitoxin 
that it joins with the toxin and neutralizes it. Now 
the horse's vein is opened and some 
of the blood drawn, allowed to form 
a clot, and the clear blood serum 
poured off. The antitoxin in the 
blood serum is then ready for use 
in curing diphtheria in people. 
The horse is not injured and in a 
few days is fully recovered. 

The right amount to use and the 
number of times it should be re- 
peated must be decided by your 
physician. 

Perhaps you may have heard 
that antitoxin ''injures the heart'' 
or ''causes paralysis." The truth 
about the matter is simply this : a 
crippled heart or paralysis is some- 
times seen in a person recovering 
from diphtheria, but these effects 
are the direct results of the disease; 
the antitoxin simply saves the life 
of the person and so permits the 
effects of the disease to be seen. 
Naturally enough, when a person 
dies from diphtheria he will never 
be troubled with a crippled heart or paralysis ! 
The name "antitoxin" comes from two Greek 




DIPHTHERIA 
ANTITOXIN 



I20 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

words meaning ''against poison." It is a substance 
which acts on the poison of diphtheria and renders it 
harmless — it is really the antidote to diphtheria 
poison. 

3. Keep your child away from children with 
sore throats or running noses. 

The important thing to remember about diph- 
theria is that the sooner a culture is made, and 
antitoxin administered if necessary, the greater the 
chance of , recovery. The fight against diphtheria 
calls for quick action, and delay may be followed 
by serious consequences. 

You insure your house and your goods against 
fire, you insure your life against death and accident. 
Why not insure your child against the deadly 
disease, diphtheria? 

(IV) Typhoid Fever 

This is a disease of the bowels, the cause of which 
is understood perfectly. Typhoid germs enter the 
body by way of the mouth and attack chiefly the 
bowels. Here they multiply and cause the lining 
of the intestines to ulcerate. Typhoid used to be 
a common disease in the days of wells and outdoor 
vaults. It is rapidly becoming a rare disease with 
the introduction of a pure water-supply, the aboli- 
tion of privies, and the protection of food, especially 
milk. 

Typhoid fever is not contagious; that is to say, 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

it is not contracted in the same manner as measles 
and scarlet fever, as it cannot be caught by simply 
being near some one with the disease. You can 




TYPHOID GERMS, TEN THOUSAND TIMES ACTUAL SIZE 



safely visit a friend with typhoid if you do not 
shake hands with him or touch any of the articles 
used by him. The disease is caused in every case by 
drinking infected milk or water, or by eating food 
which has been contaminated with typhoid germs 
by means of ''carriers'' who have unclean hands. 

How THE Germs Get into the Body. 

I. Infected drinking-water. Most cases of ty- 
phoid fever are caused by contamination of the 
water-supply with discharges from the bowels and 

122 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

kidneys of another person suffering with typhoid 
fever. It is possible for a single person having 
typhoid to do this (if care is not taken to disinfect 
the discharges) and cause an epidemic that will 
sweep through a whole town. 

2. Infected milk. Milk may contain typhoid 
germs when infected water is used to wash the 
milk-cans, but more often it is because of the unclean 
hands of the milker. 

3 . Flies that are permitted to alight on food may 
have just come from manure or other filth. On 
their feet may be typhoid germs which are deposited 
on the food. 

So bear in mind that the germ of typhoid fever 
enters the body by means of "fingers, flies, and 
food.'' 

Typhoid-carriers. 

There are typhoid-carriers just as it was ex- 
plained that there are diphtheria-carriers. The 
carrier is at the present time probably the most 
common cause of typhoid fever. In typhoid, for 
example, a person may be a carrier for years after 
recovery from the disease. The notorious ''Ty- 
phoid Mary," a cook, was the cause of twenty- 
six cases of typhoid and of a few deaths because 
she was daily discharging millions upon millions of 
typhoid-fever germs; with her unclean hands she 
conveyed some of these germs to the food which 
others ate and in this way the disease was spread. 

123 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

How TO Locate Carriers. 

A blood test called the ''Widal reaction/' very 
simple to perform and requiring but a single drop 
of blood, shows not only those persons sick with 
typhoid, but who the carrier is as well. This test 
should be made on all food-handlers, such as dairy- 
men, cooks, and waiters, in order to know whether 
or not they are carriers and thus capable of spread- 
ing typhoid. 

Prevention of Typhoid Fever. 

1. Wash the hands thoroughly before eating 
and keep the fingers out of the mouth at all 
times. 

2. Keep flies away from all food by screemng 
windows and doors, especially in the kitchen and 
dining-room. Bath-rooms and privies should also 
be screened. 

3. See that your milk comes from a first-class 
dairy — one that is regularly inspected and well 
rated by the health authorities. Those living in 
the city should use bottled milk only. 

4. Wash carefully with pure water all food eaten 
raw. This is unnecessary in the case of cooked food, 
as the process of cooking destroys any germs which 
may be present. 

5 . Boil your drinking-water whenever there is any 
doubt as to its purity. If there are any germs in the 
water they will be killed by ten minutes' boiling. 

124 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

Practically all city water is safe and requires no 
boiling. 

6. Mix all waste matter from a case of typhoid 
fever, such as the urine and bowel contents, with 
chloride of lime, according to the following di- 
rections : 

Chloride of lime % pound 

Water i gallon 

Stir up the water and chloride of lime thoroughly 
and keep in an earthenware jug. Chloride of lime 
is cheap and can be bought at any drug or depart- 
ment store. Pour plenty of this disinfectant on all 
discharges from the bowels and kidneys of the 
typhoid patient. Be sure that the disinfectant is 
thoroughly mixed with these discharges. 

Vaccination for Typhoid Fever. 

As a rule, a person in robust health is very 
resistant to disease. There are, however, certain 
exceptions, one of which is typhoid fever. This 
disease seems to attack a person in perfect health 
about as readily as it does a weakling. Fortu- 
nately, we have in vaccination an almost complete 
protection against typhoid fever. So true is this, 
that the soldiers of all the leading nations of the 
world are vaccinated. The result of this measure 
is that typhoid fever has come to be practically an 
unknown disease in the armies of the leading nations. 
In the United States army in 1898 one soldier in 

125 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 



every five had typhoid fever and more soldiers died, 
as a result of this disease than were killed in action. 
Vaccination for typhoid was not practised at that 
time, but now the entire American army has been 
vaccinated, and last year there was 
not a single death from typhoid 
among all the troops. This record 
is due entirely to the thorough 
system of vaccination against this 
disease. 

If vaccination will stamp out 
typhoid fever in the army, it will 
accomplish the same thing for those 
in civil life. Your family physician 
will vaccinate you, and the vaccine 
may be obtained by him for this 
purpose, free of charge, from either 
the local or state department of 
health. The protection is believed 
to last about three years. It is 
especially important that persons 
between the ages of fifteen and 
twenty-five be vaccinated against 
typhoid, as they are the ones most liable to con- 
tract the disease. Also, those planning a vacation 
in the country, or wherever the water or miilk sup- 
ply is not regularly inspected, should consult their 
physician about the matter of vaccination. Do 
this a month before leaving town and make an 
attack of ''vacation typhoid'' impossible. 

126 




TYPHOID VACCINE 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

Typhoid vaccination is absolutely without dan- 
ger to healthy persons and is strongly recommended. 

It is an encouraging fact that the number of 
deaths from typhoid fever have been cut down 
two-thirds in the past fifteen years. This is prob- 
ably the most striking result in the campaign to 
prevent sickness and has been brought about by 
improved methods of sanitation, such as better 
water-supply and sewerage systems, the fight against 
the fly, vaccination for typhoid, and other preven- 
tive measures. The thought that typhoid fever has 
actually been two-thirds conquered in fifteen years' 
time should spur all of us on to push the fight so 
that during the next fifteen years this disease will be 
placed in the same list with yellow fever and small- 
pox — for all practical purposes, a rare disease. 

(V) Smallpox 

The cause of smallpox is not definitely known, 
but because it is very contagious it is believed 
to be caused by germs or micro-organisms of some 
sort. Fortunately, smallpox is now a comparatively 
rare disease, although this has not always been the 
case. In the Middle Ages smallpox was one of the 
principal scourges of the world, killing nearly half 
a million persons each year in Europe alone. In 
fact, at certain periods, nearly one-half of all 
deaths were due to this disease, or five times the 
number now caused by tuberculosis. Unless these 

127 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

facts were considered, it is impossible to appreciate 
the value of our present comparative freedom from 
the disease. Why is it that smallpox is so infre- 
quent now ? Did it ' ' just happen' ' ? Did smallpox 
''naturally die out'*? It certainly did not. One 
thing and one thing alone brought about this re- 
markable result and that is vaccination. 

Vaccination. 

In 1796 Dr. Edward Jenner, a physician practis- 
ing in the dairy districts of England, was amazed 
at the beautiful complexions of the milkmaids. 
Smallpox was very prevalent in England at the 
time, and the appearance of the milkmaids formed 
a striking contrast to the pock-marked faces so 
commonly seen in other persons. At once the idea 
occurred to Jenner that there might perhaps be 
some connection between these dairy people having 
had cowpox and their freedom from smallpox. 
Investigation bore out his observation, for he 
learned that all those persons escaping smallpox 
had at one time or another been sick with cowpox. 
Soon afterward Jenner performed his famous ex- 
periment; this consisted in vaccinating a boy with 
material taken from a cowpox sore on the hand of 
the milkmaid. Several weeks later the boy was 
exposed to smallpox, but the lad did not develop 
the disease. Again and again he was exposed, and 
even inoculated with smallpox, but each time, as 
before, nothing occurred. This was the beginning 

128 




WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SMALLPOX, A DISGUSTING AND LOATHSOME 

DISEASE, OR 




A SIMPLE, HARMLESS VACCINATION MARK LIKE THIS? 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

of vaccination, one of the greatest discoveries of 
medical science. Vaccination is responsible for the 
practical disappearance of smallpox; in fact, if 
vaccination could be made compulsory by law for 
every one the disease would shortly cease to exist. 

What Vaccination Really Is. 

Briefly, the theory of vaccination is as follows: 
The germ of smallpox produces in cows a disease 
known as vaccinia, or ''cowpox.'" This is quite 
unlike smallpox as seen in human beings. Jenner 
discovered that inoculation with the material ob- 
tained from the sore of a person or animal sick 
with cowpox protected that person against small- 
pox. It is this process of inoculating a person with 
such material that is known as vaccination. When 
successful, the vaccinated area becomes surrounded 
by a red ring ; soon a blister forms which gradually 
dries, forms a crust, and drops off. In the unsuc- 
cessful cases (when there is no ''take'') it may be a 
sign that a person is partially protected by nature, 
provided, of course, that the vaccination has been 
properly performed. When a person has been suc- 
cessfully vaccinated he is protected almost abso- 
lutely from smallpox for a period of about four or 
five years ; however, in a few cases where the ' ' take ' ' 
is not perfect, exposure to smallpox might result in a 
mild attack. Then what happens is that a modi- 
fied form of smallpox occurs, which is known as 

'Varioloid." 

130 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

Cases of blood poison and other troubles for 
which vaccination has been blamed are due either 
to unclean vaccine, to lack of proper care in vacci- 
nating, or to interference with the vaccination after- 




GLASS TUBES CONTAINING VACCINE 

ward in trying to rub it off or picking at it. When 
unpleasant results occur, they are therefore due to 
carelessness or uncleanliness. This would also hap- 
pen in the cases of simple wounds that are not 
properly protected. 

The proper ages at which to vaccinate are six 
months, eight years, and again at about sixteen 
years. Of course, exposure to smallpox should 
always be followed by vaccination, even after a 
period of three or four days, as the disease will 
either be prevented or made very much milder if 
this is done. Vaccination should be performed only 
by a physician or by one specially trained. 

It is not our purpose to argue about vaccination, 

131 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

because the subject is really not open to argument 
— the facts prove conclusively that vaccination 
protects against smallpox, and because it does this 
the practical disappearance of a disease which was 
at one time such a dreadful plague is the result. 
Four instances will be given, however, which are 
satisfactory proof of this assertion. 

(A) During the Franco-Prussian war there were 
among the 1,000,000 well- vaccinated German troops 
but 459 deaths from smallpox; in the smaller but 
poorly vaccinated French army there were nearly 
25,000 deaths. 

(B) SMALLPOX RECORD IN GERMANY 

In 1874 — 18,000 deaths in every 100,000 due to 
smallpox. Compulsory vaccination 
laws passed in 1874. 

In 1881 — 5 deaths in every 100,000 due to smallpox. 

In 1886 — I death in every 100,000 due to smallpox. 

In Austria, however, where vaccination was not 
compulsory during the above period, from 1874 to 
1886, the death-rate remained high until 1891, 
when vaccination became more efficiently carried 
out, with the result that the number of deaths from 
smallpox fell rapidly. 

(C) SMALLPOX IN HAVANA, CUBA 

During the eight years before our army occupied 

the city, smallpox caused 3,132 deaths. 

132 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

During the next eight years, when vaccination 
was enforced, there were 7 deaths. 

(D) SMALLPOX IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 

In a small epidemic of smallpox in and about 
Rochester in January, 191 5, personally witnessed 
by the writer, thirteen out of the total number 
of fourteen cases had never been successfully vac- 
cinated. The one person who did show a vaccina- 
tion scar had not been vaccinated in ten years; 
his attack of smallpox was extremely light, however, 
and at no time was he sick enough to go to bed. 

While vaccination almost certainly prevents 
smallpox, it can also be depended upon to render 
the disease very mild in those extremely few vac- 
cinated persons who do contract it. So effective is 
vaccination in preventing smallpox that a person 
recently and successfully vaccinated may live in a 
smallpox hospital (''pesthouse'') surrounded by 
patients in every stage of the disease without a 
shadow of danger. 

In spite of the remarkable proofs of the value of 
vaccination, there are still a few people who, having 
had little or no experience in the matter, are op- 
posed to its practice and present all sorts of theories 
other than vaccination to account for the decline 
of smallpox. It is a significant fact, however, that 
all sanitary and health experts are agreed that vac- 
cination is a tremendous aid in the prevention and 
control of smallpox. In countries where vaccina- 

^33 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

tion is thoroughly practised, smallpox has been 
practically conquered, and the disease exists at 
present only when vaccination has been neglected. 
There are still about 20,000 cases reported annually 
in the United States, which shows that the disease 
is not only present, but, like a smoldering fire, 
is ready to break out as soon as our attention is 
taken from it. This is the reason why vaccination 
should be made compulsory, just the same as it is 
compulsory to quarantine a case of smallpox. 
Smallpox can be stamped out and vaccination is the 
way to do it. , • 

(VI) Scarlet Fever 

' ' Scarlatina ' ' is the scientific name for this disease 
and does not mean a mild form of scarlet fever. 
Scarlatina is scarlet fever. The cause remains un- 
known as yet, but is believed to be a germ. 

The importance of the disease is realized when we 
stop and think that nearly one-half of all persons 
have had scarlet fever. It is usually regarded as a 
children's disease, but it seems to affect a grown 
person almost as readily as a child. In most cases 
a person who has once had the disease does not 
get it again. As the heart, kidneys, and ears are 
often damaged as a result of scarlet fever, it must 
be looked upon as a dangerous disease. Unfort- 
unately, the damage may follow the mild cases 
as well as the severe ones, and it is true that a 
person with a light attack of scarlet fever can pass 

134 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

the disease on to some one else in a severe form. 
For these reasons it is important for us to try and 
prevent the spread of scarlet fever as much as pos- 
sible. Like all other ''catching" diseases, it may be 
prevented if the proper precautions are taken. 

Prevention of Scarlet Fever. 

A. The general preventive measures mentioned 
in connection with ''measles" are of equal im- 
portance in helping to prevent scarlet fever. Fre- 
quent cleansing of the body, face, and hands with 
soap and water is a powerful preventive not only of 
scarlet fever, but of all other communicable 
diseases as well. 

B. It is important to know how scarlet fever 
begins, so that you may keep your child away from 
other persons who may be coming down with the 
disease. If you know of any one being taken sud- 
denly sick with an attack of vomiting (or convul- 
sions in the case of a child), followed by a sore 
throat, fever, and a pink skin, suspect scarlet 
fever and keep your family away from that person. 

C. If you have reason to believe that your child 
has scarlet fever he should be kept away from other 
people, in a room by himself, and the doctor called 
at once. 

D. The person who takes care of the patient 
should make it a rule to slip on a loose gown or 
kimono over the clothes when entering the sick- 
room. Before leaving, hang this gown on a hook 

10 135 , 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

in the sick-room and proceed to wash the hands 
thoroughly with soap and water; this should be 
done every time. 

E. It goes without saying that a person ill with 
scarlet fever should have his own dishes, utensils, 
and bedding. All these things should be washed 
separately and disinfected before being used by any 
one else; the dishes by ten minutes in boiling 
water, the bedding by formaldehyde or as otherwise 
directed by the physician. 

F. Any discharge from the patient's mouth, nose, 
and throat should be received into pieces of old 
linen or gauze, and these burned soon afterward. 
The reason for this is that the disease is believed to 
be spread mainly by means of these discharges. 
The scales and ''peeling'' of scarlet fever have 
nothing whatever to do with spreading the disease. 

G. A child recovering from scarlet fever should 
not return to school for at least four weeks. This 
time can be profitably spent in resting and build- 
ing up. 

(VII) Measles 

Measles is doubtless a germ disease, but the par- 
ticular germ that causes it has not yet been found. 

The saying that ''Familiarity breeds contempt" 
is true in the case of measles. It is such a com- 
mon disease, and so many of us have had it, that 
we are apt not to take it seriously. Yet it is really 
a dangerous disease and causes more deaths than 

136 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

scarlet fever. . Besides, it is a frequent cause of 
deafness, and an attack of measles often leaves a 
child so weak that it falls an easy prey to pneu- 
monia. Measles may occur at any age, but is, of 
course, much more common in children and is also 
more dangerous at that time. 

Prevention of Measles. 

Unfortunately, we have as yet no special means 
of protection against measles, as in the cases of 
smallpox and typhoid fever. We must rely on the 
general preventive measures outlined in the first 
part of the book, such as cleanliness of the face 
and hands, the use of our own towel and drinking- 
cup, keeping the fingers out of the mouth, and 
daily brushing of the teeth. There are a few 
points, however, which should be emphasized. 

A. Keep your child away from other children 
who have measles. Be suspicious of measles 
when a child begins to cough, has a ''running'* 
nose, has red, watery eyes, and avoids the light. 
If, in addition, the child is feverish and you 
notice an eruption on the forehead near the hair 
or behind the ears, you may be certain the trouble 
is measles. 

B. It is important to know that you can often 
see the beginning rash of measles on the inside of 
the lips and cheeks a day or so before it breaks 
out on the skin. The spots appear as little rose- 
red, pink-in-the-center specks. If you see these 

137 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

you may know that the child has measles, as they 
do not occur in any other disease. 

C. If your own child has measles (and you can 
, tell a little in advance by the spots in the mouth) , 

or if he shows the first signs of the disease such as 
sneezing, coughing, and watering of the eyes, he 
should be quarantined ; that is, keep him away from 
other children and members of the family and then 
call a doctor. 

D. The discharges from the nose and throat con- 
tain the germs of measles, and soft paper napkins 
or old linen cloths should be used, and burned soon 
afterward. 

(VIII) Chicken-pox 

Chicken-pox, though quite contagious, is not a 
serious disease. It causes a ''breaking out'* on 
the skin very similar to smallpox and is of impor- 
tance mainly because of this fact. A severe case of 
chicken-pox may be more disfiguring than a mild 
case of smallpox. Because of the skill and experi- 
ence required in deciding whether a certain case is 
chicken-pox or smallpox, mistakes are often made, 
with a result that an epidemic of smallpox gets 
under way before it is recognized. 

Prevention of Chicken-pox. 

I . Report promptly to the health officer the case 
of any member of your family that is sick with 
what you think is ''chicken-pox." It may pos- 

138 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

sibly prove to be smallpox, and if it does you cer- 
tainly want to know it. The health officer is usu- 
ally the one who is best able to decide the matter. 
2. Keep children with chicken-pox out of school 
and away from other children until the eruption has 
disappeared. 

(IX) Whooping-cough 

Whooping-cough is a dangerous, catching disease, 
most common in children and caused by a certain 
germ, recently discovered. 

Age and Whooping-cough. 

The majority of cases of whooping-cough occur 
in children under the age of five, and one-half of 
these are in babies not yet one year old. Whooping- 
cough is very fatal in babies less than one year of 
age, and in consequence one child out of every four 
who has the disease does not recover. 

Seriousness of the Disease. 

Too often people refer to this disease as ''only 
an attack of whooping-cough ' ' and look upon it as 
something that does not amount to much. They 
seem to have a wholesome dread of infantile paraly- 
sis and quite a little respect for scarlet fever and 
diphtheria, but are inclined to treat whooping- 
cough rather lightly. What are the facts, however? 
In 191 5 whooping-cough in Rochester, New York, 
killed more persons than scarlet fever and diph- 

139 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

theria combined, and caused ten times more deaths 
than infantile paralysis! When we consider that 
there is a vaccine which will' prevent whooping- 
cough in over half of those who are vaccinated, 
and that this fact has been widely advertised in the 
newspapers, it seems a pity that the disease is per- 
mitted to go on killing people when we have the 
means for fighting it so successfully. 

The danger of whooping-cough lies not only in 
the disease itself, but in the fact that pneumonia is 
a frequent complication and also that it paves 
the way for tuberculosis later on in life. 

Prevention of Whooping-cough. 

A. Regard as whooping-cough every case of 
jerky, spasmodic cough with a flushed face, espe- 
cially a cough that is worse at night or which is 
followed by vomiting. 

Regard as suspicious any cough in young children 
and keep your children away from them. The 
reason for this is that whooping-cough is spread 
by the person who has it when he coughs or sneezes 
at some one else. The fine particles of spray 
coughed up or sneezed out contain the germs and 
may give your child the disease. 

B. In case your own child has whooping-cough, 
keep him away from other people, as whooping- 
cough lasts such a long time (several weeks and 
sometimes months). It is not necessary to shut 
up the child in one room or to keep him continually 

140 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

in the house. The important thing to remember 
is that the disease is contagious as long as the cough 
lasts, and that the child should be kept away from 
school or from coming into close contact with people 
during this period. 

C. Vaccination, — As there is so little to be done 
for whooping-cough after it has started, and con- 
sidering the harmlessness of whooping-cough vac- 
cine, the best thing for us to do in the case of whoop- 
ing-cough is to try and prevent it. By means of a 
vaccine, recently discovered, it is possible to ac- 
complish this in over one-half the cases; that is, 
over one-half of those who are vaccinated for 
whooping-cough do not contract the disease when 
directly exposed to it. Remembering that most of 
the deaths from whooping-cough are in babies 
under one year of age, you will understand how 
important it is to vaccinate children for the first 
time when they are a few weeks old. The protec- 
tion lasts about three years, after which they should 
again be vaccinated. Children up to the age of 
ten who have not been specially protected from 
whooping-cough in this manner should be vac- 
cinated at any time during this period. The vac- 
cine will be given by your physician in the same 
manner as a hypodermic injection, and may be ob- 
tained by him, free of charge, at the health depart- 
ment. As whooping-cough is a child's disease, it is 
unnecessary that adults be vaccinated. When the 
disease does develop in adults it is seldom serious. 

141 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

(X) Infantile Paralysis 

Because of the epidemic of infantile paralysis in 
New York City in 191 6, when there were 9,418 
cases, there was much discussion of the subject, 
both in the newspapers and among people generally. 

What Infantile Paralysis Is. 

Infantile paralysis is an inflammation of the 
spinal cord caused by a living germ so small that it 
cannot be seen with the ordinary lenses of the 
microscope. The germs have been shown to exist 
in the discharges from the nose and throat of a 
person sick with the disease, and infection in a 
new case is believed to take place through the same 
channels. As a result of such inflammation of the 
spinal cord, certain nerves may be damaged. When 
this happens the muscles which they control lose 
their power, becoming weak and sometimes com- 
pletely paralyzed. That is the reason for the name 
of the disease. 

Age and Infantile Paralysis. 

The name is misleading in one way, however, as 
many people think the disease is confined exclu- 
sively to children. This is not true, for it may 
attack persons of almost any age and, further, it is 
apt to be quite fatal in the case of adults. How- 
ever, about nine-tenths of all cases of infantile 
paralysis are in children under the age of five, and 

142 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

about four persons in every five who have the 
disease get well. 

Our knowledge of infantile paralysis is still some- 
what incomplete; that is, the facts relative to its 
manner of spread are not as clear at the present 
time as in the case of typhoid fever, a disease that 
we know all about and understand perfectly. This 
does not mean, however, that we have no informa- 
tion on the subject, for such is not the case. Fur- 
thermore, scientific men of great skill are working 
constantly on the problem and there is every reason 
to believe that the time is not far distant when we 
will have a test enabling us to tell those who are 
likely to catch the disease, as we now have for 
diphtheria. And it is also probable that we will 
have some remedy for the disease, as we have in 
the case of antitoxin in diphtheria. 

Carriers. 

It has been noticed that an occasional case of 
infantile paralysis sometimes develops in a place 
far removed from the scene of an epidemic, which 
later turns out to be the only case in that locality. 
If infantile paralysis is contagious, and if there is 
no one else sick with the disease, how can this 
occur? The only satisfactory explanation is that 
there must be persons who are capable of carrying 
the infection and giving it to others without in 
themselves having the disease or showing any signs 
of sickness. 

143 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

The first signs of infantile paralysis are fever and 
pain or soreness in the muscles of the arms or legs, 
which makes the affected person cross and irritable. 
If a child appears to be weak in its arms and legs, 
take no chances, but keep it away from other people 
and call your physician. 

As infantile paralysis is not always with us like 
measles and scarlet fever, it is only necessary then, 
for practical purposes, to consider the proper pre- 
cautions to take in time of an epidemic. 

Prevention of Infantile Paralysis. 

A. Call a physician or notify the health depart- 
ment if you have reason to suspect that infantile 
paralysis is in your family. 

B. Screen all open windows and doors and keep 
household pets away from the children. As epi- 
demics of infantile paralysis occur during the warm 
weather, flies are believed to have some part in the 
spread of the disease; screening, therefore, is an 
important precaution. 

C. As far as possible, try and keep children in 
their own yard and away from other children. 

D. Keep children away from picnics, theaters, 
street-cars, railroad trains, or, in fact, wherever 
people gather. 

E. The general precautions regarding the com- 
mon drinking-cup, wash-cloth and roller towel, 
mentioned so often before, are of particular im- 
portance in tim.e of an epidemic of infantile paraly- 

144 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

sis. Children should also be warned to keep their 
fingers out of their mouths and noses, and when 
sneezing or coughing to hold their handkerchief in 
front of their face. The hands should be washed 
with soap and warm water before each meal, after 
each visit to the toilet, and before going to bed. 

F. Allow no one to kiss your child during an 
epidemic. 

G. In case you have children, try and persuade 
relatives and friends to postpone their visits until 
after the epidemic. They may act as carriers of 
the disease. 



(XI) Common '* Colds'* 

''Colds" is hardly a name for these disorders, 
as the effects of cold alone cannot produce ''colds." 
Explorers in the Arctic regions, exposed to ex- 
tremely low temperatures for long periods of time, 
are remarkably free from colds. 

Simply because every one of us has had many- 
colds and has always recovered, and because colds 
in themselves never prove fatal, it is a great mistake 
not to take them seriously. Surely every one can 
recall, if he stops to think, of the case of a friend 
or relative whose cold "ran into" pneumonia, con- 
sumption, or some other equally serious trouble. 
This is the reason why colds are dangerous and why 
we should do our best to prevent them. 

145 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

How We Catch Cold. 

Germs produce colds, and the way they do it is as 
follows: The germs concerned in colds may be of 
se\eral different kinds, those which cause blood 
poison or pneumonia or grip — all these are capable 
of producing colds, but the important fact in this 
connection is that the germs mentioned may act in 
two different ways. They may be weak and harm- 
less, as they are most of the time; we know this to 
be so, for it can be shown that they exist in the 
mouths of all of us at all times, even though we are 
well. Let the body become run down, however, 
with our resistance lowered in consequence, and 
these same germs, ordinarily held in check, become 
active and cause a cold. Now these active germs 
in a person suffering with a cold make it contagious 
in the same way that grip or one of the forms of 
pneumonia is contagious. 

The prevention of colds, therefore, depends prin- 
cipally upon keeping up the general health of the 
body, and at the same time avoiding those things 
which are especially apt to suddenly lower the re- 
sistance and also avoiding close contact with any 
one suffering with a cold. Special points in this 
connection are as follows: 

A. To maintain the body resistance in order to 
keep the germs in the nose and throat quiet and 
harmless — 

I. Avoid sudden changes of temperature, such 

146 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

as going from a warm room to the chilly outdoors 
without an overcoat. 

2. Avoid chilling of the body from wet clothing 
and avoid especially wet feet. Wearing rubbers 
will keep the feet dry. 

3. Get rid of adenoids, as these growths cause a 
chronic catarrh and favor the frequent occurrence of 
colds. 

4. Breathe as little dusty air as possible. That is 
one reason why colds are so frequent in cities in the 
late fall and early spring when the streets are not 
sprinkled and when the dust flies in clouds in our 
faces. The dust is not only irritating, but actually 
contains ''cold'' germs. 

5. Avoid overheated rooms (over 72°) and exces- 
sively dry air. 

6. Sleep with windows open. A sleeping-porch 
is still better, except in damp or extremely cold 
weather. 

7. Accustom the body to sudden changes of 
temperature by taking a cold sponge-bath over 
back and chest and neck every morning ; follow this 
by vigorous rubbing with a rough towel. 

B. To prevent the spread of colds — 

1. Avoid stuffy theaters and crowded street- 
cars. 

2. Avoid close contact with friends who have 
colds, especially those who are coughing and sneez- 
ing. Kissing is probably the quickest and surest 
way to catch a cold from some one else. 

147 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

3. If you have a cold, use handkerchiefs of cheese- 
cloth or old linen, and burn them. 

About Draughts. 

Many people believe that they sat in a draught 
and ''therefore'' caught cold; what they most 
needed was not so much to avoid draughts as to 
keep in such condition that draughts would do 
them good, not harm. When you are inclined to 
blame a draught for your cold, remember that it 
is not the engineer or fireman on the train who 
catches cold, but the passengers in the warm, poorly 
ventilated coaches. 

The most important thing of all in the 
prevention of colds is to keep yourself in 

good physical CONDITION BY GETTING SUFFICIENT 
SLEEP, FOOD, AND FRESH AIR. If this is nCglcctcd 

the other precautions, alone, are not apt to protect 
you. 

(XII) Grip 

The correct name for grip or la grippe, as the 
French originally called it, is influenza. Grip and 
influenza are one and the same thing. 

Both the way in which grip starts and spreads, 
together with its means of prevention, are so 
nearly like the case of common colds that the sub- 
ject will not be discussed separately. 

148 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

(XIII) Malaria 

Only in certain sections of the United States is 
there any danger of contracting malaria. These lo- 
calities are indicated by the shaded portions of the 
map on page 60, and a glance will show that the 
malarial sections exist chiefly in the Southern states. 
Now and then a case of malaria is seen in the North, 
but investigation usually shows that the disease was 
contracted elsewhere. 

How Malaria Is Spread. 

Malaria is spread by a certain kind of mosquito 
called the Anopheles. When this mosquito bites 
a person sick with malaria the insect sucks the 
blood which contains the malarial parasite (germ). 
Later on, when a well person is bitten by this same 
mosquito, the parasite of malaria is planted in his 
blood and in this way the disease is spread. 

Few problems in the prevention of disease are 
better understood than that of the prevention of 
malaria. We know the exact cause of the disease, 
how it is transmitted and what to do in order to 
prevent its spread. Nothing remains to stamp out 
the disease but the practical application of this 
knowledge. 

Prevention of Malaria. 

I . Destroy the mosquitoes. — The way to do this is 
fully explained in section B, Part I. 

149 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

2. Avoid mosquito-bites. — This is accomplished by 
screening the windows and doors of houses and 
also porches used for sitting outside in the evening. 
As mosquitoes are usually active only after sunset, 
the ankles, neck, and arms should be protected 
from the bite of the mosquito after dark. A 
practical point in this connection is to rub these 
exposed parts of the body with some substance that 
is distasteful to mosquitoes. Good preparations 
for this purpose are oil of citronella, oil of lavender, 
or a mixture of equal parts of these oils. Another 
method is to bum ''joss-sticks,'* which develop a 
smoke, the fragrance of which is quite pleasant 
to most of us, but which mosquitoes do not like and 
therefore avoid. In the woods, nothing is more 
efficient than a smudge made by placing green 
boughs or wet leaves on camp-fires. 

3. Quinine. — In sections known to be malarial 
and where the disease is prevalent, it is customary 
to take regularly two grains of quinine at meal- 
time three times a day during the mosquito season, 
which is usually from June to November. The two- 
grain capsules are the best preparation and may be 
taken daily during this period without any harm 
resulting from their use. 

(XIV) Summer Diarrhea 

It is common knowledge to all of us that diarrhea 
is much more frequent in summer than in winter; 

ISO 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

in fact, few of us manage to get through a summer 
without at least one upset of this sort. The reason 
for this is easily explained. In summer, food spoils 
readily, and unless precautions are taken flies feed 
upon it. Thus it becomes contaminated, and when 
eaten diarrhea is the result. The importance of 
this matter is difficult to realize unless we compare 
this trouble with some other better-known disease. 
It is a fact that summer diarrhea, or ' ' summer com- 
plaint,'' kills six times as many people every year 
as die from typhoid fever. Think of it! Is it 
not worth a little trouble and precaution on our 
part to prevent this terrible waste of human life? 
As five-sixths of the victims of summer diarrhea 
are helpless infants under two years of age, it is 
certainly up to us to protect them, and it is pos- 
sible to do this to a great extent. 

Prevention of Summer Diarrhea. 

I. Keep flies away from food. — This was thor- 
oughly discussed in connection with the subject of 
' ' Flies ' ' and ' ' Typhoid Fever, ' ' and the importance of 
screening all parts of the house, especially the kitchen, 
dining-room, nursery, and privy, was pointed out. 

An experiment was conducted in New York City 
by the Health Department a year or so ago in the 
homes of over a thousand infants. One of the re- 
sults went to show that almost twice as many 
infants had diarrhea when exposed to flies as was 
the case among the fly-protected infants. 
11 151 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

2. Don't patronize any restaurant, grocery, or 
market where flies are permitted to alight on food. 

3. Keep the baby on the breast and away from 




THIS FEEDING-BOTTLE IS DAN- 
GEROUS BECAUSE IT CANNOT 
BE KEPT CLEAN 



THIS BOTTLE IS EASY TO CLEAN 
AND IS THEREFORE SAFE 



the bottle, especially in the summer-time. The 
New York City experiment referred to showed that 
about two and one-half times more bottle-fed 
babies were attacked by diarrhea than breast-fed 
infants. When the baby is fed artificially, and 

152 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

when the bottle is exposed to flies, the danger is 
especially great. 

4. If the use of the bottle is necessary, do not by 
any means buy the old-fashioned kind with a small 
mouth and rubber tubing; it is dangerous because 
it is impossible to keep it sanitary. The wide- 
mouth bottle shown is the best kind to use. 

5. Maintain general cleanliness about the house. 
This means keeping things ''picked up'' and in 
their proper places, all rubbish disposed of, frequent 
house-cleaning, and the maintenance of sanitary 
conditions in general. The experiment showed that 
almost twice as many infants had diarrhea in 
dirty homes as in clean homes. 

(XV) Lockjaw 
How Lockjaw Originates. 

Fortunately, lockjaw, or tetanus, is a rare disease, 
although the chance of its occurrence is always 
present. This chance is greatly in- 
creased under certain conditions. 
The germs of lockjaw are most apt 
to exist in street and stable dirt or 
in garden soil. As these germs do 
not grow well when exposed to air, 
punctured wounds are the most dan- these are the 

-r> ,1 1 • GERMS OF LOCK- 

gerous. By punctured wounds is j^w 

meant those made by a nail or sharp 
object which penetrates the flesh for some dis- 
tance, but which makes only a tiny hole in 

153 




HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

the skin. Tetanus germs planted deep in such 
wounds find conditions ideal for their growth. 
Other wounds which are dangerous are those in 
which there is considerable crushing or tearing 
of the flesh; in such cases the germs of lockjaw 
may be ground into the tissues. When such in- 
juries as punctured or crushing wounds are con- 
tracted in the streets or about stables, they be- 
come doubly dangerous. Since the more sensible 
celebration of the Fourth of July, cases of lockjaw 
from the explosion of toy pistols are much less 
frequent than formerly. 

Prevention of Lockjaw. 

1. Thorough opening of deep, punctured wounds 
at once. 

2. Disinfection (cauterizing) with pure carbolic 
acid which is immediately neutralized by grain 
alcohol. Tincture of iodine is then freely applied 
and the wound kept open by a strip of clean gauze. 

3. Tetanus antitoxin. — In all doubtful or serious 
cases, antitoxin should be given within twenty- 
four hours after the injury. This method of pre- 
vention is similar to that employed in diphtheria 
and is without danger. Its value lies chiefly in 
preventing lockjaw from developing, as it does little, 
if any, good after the disease has set in. As a pre- 
ventive, however, its action is sure and certain and 
every one should know that such an antitoxin exists 

154 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

and insist on its use in cases similar to those 
described above. 

The disinfection of punctured wounds and the 
decision as to whether or not antitoxin should be 
used must rest entirely in the hands of the physician. 

(XVI) Rabies (Hydrophobia) 

As all of us know, hydrophobia is due to the bite 
of a rabid animal, usually the dog. The disease is 
caused by an unknown poison present in the 
saliva of the dog, which is introduced into the 
system when the skin is broken by the teeth of the 
animal. 

The Pasteur Treatment for hydrophobia has 
cut down the deaths in this disease so much that 
where sixteen in every one hundred of those bitten 
used to die, now only one succumbs, when given the 
Pasteur treatment. To be of value it must be 
given before the person bitten actually becomes 
sick (usually from twenty to forty days). After 
this it is of no use, as none of the cases ever recover. 

(XVII) Spinal Meningitis 

This disease is, fortunately, infrequent, although 
it occurs in large cities occasionally. It is caused 
by a known germ. 

Flexner's Serum is a wonderful remedy for 
meningitis, amounting almost to a specific. Since 

155 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

its discovery the deaths from this disease have been 
cut down four-fifths. 



(XVIII) Tapeworms 

The three principal kinds of tapeworms are 
those which grow in hogs, cattle, and fish. The 
one from hogs is by far the most serious, but, 
fortunately for us, it is rare in this country. 
Tapeworms are produced in people by eating 
pork, beef, or fish which contains tapeworm eggs 
embedded in the flesh. From these eggs, tape- 
worms develop in the intestines, and then, through 
the improper or careless disposal of sewage, 
healthy hogs, cattle, and fish become diseased, 
and so the thing goes on in an endless chain. 
The solution of the tapeworm problem lies clearly 
in breaking this chain. 

Prevention of Tapeworms. 

1. On farms or in camp, make certain that hogs 
or cattle do not have access to sewage either 
directly or indirectly by drinking water from streams 
which have been polluted near by. Infection of 
fish in the latter way is frequent. 

2. Cook completely all pork, beef, and fish. If 
this is done there will be no danger, as the tape- 
worm eggs are killed by the heat developed in 
thorough cooking. 

IS6 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

(XIX) Trichina 

The question of trichina was discussed in con- 
nection with the subject of ''Rats." It was shown 
how rats were the original animals which harbored 
the trichina, and how hogs became infected by 
eating these same rats. The only thing, then, 
necessary in order that a person may contract this 
serious and painful disease is that he eat diseased 
pork which has been carelessly prepared. 

Prevention of Trichinosis. 

This depends upon two things: 

1. Keep rats away from all pig-pens, slaughter- 
houses, butcher shops, or other places where live 
hogs are kept. The way to do this has been ex- 
plained. 

2. Cook thoroughly all pork that is eaten. It is 
very important that this kind of meat be completely 
cooked. There is nothing in the appearance or 
odor of ''measly" pork to warn us, consequently 
our main protection lies in thorough cooking. 

(XX) Infected Wounds (Blood Poison) 

While blood poison can hardly be classed as a 
communicable disease, still, as it is caused by germs 
that we know all about, and as it is absolutely 
preventable, it will be considered here. 

157 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

Nature will heal a wound very rapidly if it is 
clean. It is not enough for the wound to simply 
look clean ; it must be entirely or nearly free from 
germs. When a wound heals under these condi- 
tions we have what is termed ''healing by first 
intention.'' 

If we do not keep the germs out of a wound 
or do not get them out after they are in, then the 
healing process of Nature may be interfered with 
to such an extent that infection takes place; pus 
is formed by Nature in her effort to fight the germs, 
and the best that we can then expect is what is 
called ''healing by second intention." 

Remember that these germs are on our skin, on 
the tools we use — in fact, everywhere about us, 
waiting for a chance to gain entrance to the body; 
there, under the influence of warmth and moisture, 
they multiply rapidly. A break in the skin gives 
the germs their opportunity; having entered, they 
throw off poisons which irritate the wound, and, 
circulating in the blood, produce fever and head- 
ache. 

A wrong impression that many have is that one 
is likely to "catch cold" in a wound; this is a mis- 
take. You can "catch cold" on the chest, but not 
in a wound. What you can catch in a wound are 
germs, and this is the principal thing to bear in 
mind and avoid. 

An infected wound may prove so serious that a 
finger, hand, or arm may be lost, and it sometimes 

158 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

happens that even death results from small neg- 
lected wounds. These facts should impress every 
one with the necessity of properly caring for every 
wound, no matter how small. 

The common name for infection is *' blood 
poison/' and it is attended with pain, redness, and 
swelling of the part. It may safely be assumed 
that in all cuts, scratches, hang-nails, etc., at least 
a few germs get in. If such wounds become in- 
fected in consequence, they are very likely to lay 
a person up for some time, and as an infected 
wound is entirely unnecessary provided the proper 
precautions are taken, it is important to have such 
precautions clearly in mind. 

The New York State Industrial Commission 
found, in studying a series of five thousand cases of 
small injuries, such as cuts, scratches, and punct- 
ured wounds, that seventeen in every hundred be- 
came infected. The records of the Commission 
showed that this happened when the cases re- 
ceived improper treatment or were not treated at 
all. More than this, the average case of infection 
forced the employee to lay up for over two weeks. 
*'A11 right," you say. *'What has all this got to 
do with me?" It has a great deal to do with every 
one of us. What one of us can say that not once 
during the past year has he cut his hand or fingers 
or face? Who has not stuck himself with a pin or 
a sharp instrument? Who has not had a ''hang- 
nail" or a break in the skin of some sort? Very 

IS9 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

few. These are the cases, however — the Httle 
things — that made up the record of the Industrial 
Commission. The big injuries are not usually the 
ones that develop blood poison. There are two 
reasons for this: first, a doctor is quickly called; 
and, second, there is a free flow of blood which 
helps to wash away the germs and to kill those 
which remain. But the little breaks in the skin — ■ 
the ones that bleed slightly — are the ones most apt 
to become infected. Don't be ashamed to give 
them proper treatment, no matter how trifling the 
injury may seem to you. It takes but a few mo- 
ments and may save you days of pain and dis- 
ability. There is no mystery or secret about how 
you may almost surely prevent a wound from be- 
coming infected and causing blood poison. 

Prevention of Blood Poison. 

1. Cleanse with gasolene. This is accomplished 
by thoroughly scrubbing the skin surrounding the 
wound with a cloth wet with ordinary automobile 
gasolene. Then take a fresh piece of cloth, also 
wet with gasolene, and scrub the wound itself. 
Keep water away from the wound, as it interferes 
with the success of this method. 

2. Apply tincture of iodine. Tincture of iodine 
does to germs what arsenic or strychnine does to rats 
— it kills every germ it touches swiftly and surely. 
Wrap a small piece of cotton on the end of a tooth- 
pick or match (first breaking off the head), saturate 

i6o 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 



with tincture of iodine, and then paint the wound 
and surrounding skin with it. 

3. Cover the wound with a piece of surgical 
gauze, several layers in thickness, and hold in 
place by a bandage. A clean 
piece of linen or cheese-cloth 
will answer, but the gauze is 
better. 

4. Wet the whole dressing 
thoroughly, gauze and bandage, 
with a mixture of half alcohol 
and half water. Leave this 
dressing on for several days, 
and if the directions are care- 
fully followed you may be rea- 
sonably certain that healing will 
take place promptly. 

(XXI) Common Skin Diseases 




THE VITAL PART IN 

THE PREVENTION OF 

BLOOD POISON 



The three common skin dis- 
eases that are kept going by 
being passed on from one per- 
son to another are scabies (''the itch"), lice, and 
ringworm. 

Scabies. 

''The itch" is caused by a tiny parasite which 
buries itself under the skin and produces intense 
itching. Any one with this trouble is pretty sure 

161 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

to exhibit long scratch marks on the skin in various 
parts of the body ; these are due to violent scratch- 
ing. The disease is spread by means of clothing, 
bedding, towels, etc. All children having scabies 
are excluded by the school physicians from school 
until they are cured. 

Lice. 

These parasites are found in the hair (head lice) 
or on the body, and are very common in children. 
Lice multiply by laying eggs which are known 
popularly as ''nits." As they are very easy to 
acquire, no one should be blamed for having lice, 
but only for keeping them. Lice are spread by 
wearing other peoples' hats, using their combs 
and brushes, wearing rented swimming - suits, 
sleeping in cheap lodging-houses, and in other 
similar ways. 

In the case of head lice the hair should be cut 
close or a fine- tooth comb used. If crude petroleum 
is then applied it will usually kill the few remaining 
lice. Children with lice should never be permitted 
to attend school. 

Ringworm. 

This is not due to a worm, but to a fungous growth 

on the skin. Ringworm grows from the outside, 

clearing up in the center as it gets larger, and thus 

162 



SPECIAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES 

produces a ring, for which the disease is named. It 
is communicable and is spread in about the same 
way as lice or scabies. 

Painting a ringworm spot daily with tincture of 
iodine usually causes it to disappear in a short time. 



Part IV 
CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 



Chronic Diseases of Adult Life 

WE are now going to consider those diseases 
which, though not in any way communi- 
cable, are in a large measure preventable. The 
ones most commonly met with and which cause the 
greatest loss of life are diseases of the heart, kid- 
neys, and blood-vessels, and cancer. In fact, heart 
disease is responsible for more deaths than any 
other one disease, not even excepting tuberculosis, 
and more than twice as many people die as a result 
of heart trouble as are killed by cancer. The four 
diseases mentioned above are among the seven 
leading causes of death. 

Public Hygiene. 

Those diseases which we have been considering, 
such as typhoid fever, tuberculosis, smallpox, 
measles, and diphtheria, are all capable of being 
passed on from one person to another. On this 
account the public health authorities have taken 
an active hand in their control, and as a result there 
has been a very gratifying reduction in the total 
number of cases. The control of diseases of this 
character is accomplished by what is known as 
12 167 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

''public hygiene," which means that laws have 
been passed which compel people to take certain 
precautions which are known to prevent and check 
the spread of these diseases. Of course, education 
and intelligence on the part of the individual are 
necessary parts of the plan, as we have seen, such 
as screening our houses against flies, care in coming 
in contact with those persons sick with communi- 
cable disease, avoidance of infected food and water, 
and the many other general precautions which 
have been explained. But perhaps the greatest re- 
duction in these diseases has been accomplished by 
the health authorities in compelling us to live up 
to the vaccination laws, in quarantining contagious 
diseases, by insisting upon certain regulations in 
connection with our food and water-supply, and 
in keeping contagious diseases out of the country 
by the examination of all immigrants. 

Individual Hygiene. 

But how about the chronic diseases of adult life? 
Do the health authorities have any control over 
these? No, not in any way. You can drink your- 
self to death, you can gorge yourself with meat 
three times a day, you can sit quietly at home or in 
the factory all day long and not get a bit of exercise, 
or you can ''hit the pace" as fast as you want to, 
and no one can stop you. It is strictly up to you. 
The doctor and nurse in such cases have no chance 
to apply their knowledge until the mischief is done. 

i68 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

They are like the fire department, called in from the 
outside when the fire is making headway. They 
have had no opportunity to fire-proof the building, 
to install sprinkler systems, or to build fire-escapes. 



thediseasesofadultlife 
are often unsuspected 

UNTILTOOLATE 






^-^♦s 




Kidney Disease 

These men look and feel well but each has a 
serious or ganic disease . Such diseases 
may often produce no symptoms of discomfort 



That is your job. You can do any or all of the 
things which bring on these diseases of adult Ufe, 
and as long as you can keep from being a public 
nuisance you are accountable to no one but your- 
self. Perhaps this is the principal reason for the 
most serious fact in connection with these diseases — 
THEY ARE ON THE INCREASE! Whcrcas public hy- 
giene has cut in two, and in some cases three, the 
death-rate from certain diseases, individual hygiene 
has been much neglected. In consequence, the 
number of deaths from diseases of the heart, blood- 
vessels, and kidneys, as well as from cancer and 
some other diseases, shows an alarming increase. 

169 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

In other words, most of the deaths under the age 
of ten, which are due to the contagious diseases 
and infant diarrhea, are steadily being cut down, 
whereas the deaths over forty, due to the chronic 
adult diseases which we are about to consider, are 
increasing. 

Very few persons reach the age of forty physically 
sound in every respect. Those who pass for ''weir' 
are usually found, on better acquaintance, to be 
troubled with some slight disorder, such as indiges- 
tion, constipation, sleeplessness, headaches, ca- 
tarrh, rheumatism, bad teeth, poor eyesight, or 
other ''troubles." In themselves these may not 
seem to amount to much, but they are a sign that 
the person is headed the wrong way. The proper 
thing to do is to take steps to correct these small 
troubles before they lead to more serious ailments. 

The old easy-going attitude of slapping yourself 
on the back, saying, "Oh, I guess Tm all right!" 
and thus keeping yourself in good humor until 
medicine or the knife is needed, must be abandoned. 

Remember above everything else that you can- 
not "beat" Nature. No one can disobey the laws 
of health without paying for it, any more than he 
can draw a check against his bank-account without 
reducing the balance. He may not go bankrupt 
at once and may not even be inconvenienced 
until the money is actually gone, but Nature keeps 
her balances very accurately and in the end all 
claims must be paid. 

170 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

The reliable estimates of authorities show that 
fully two-thirds of the deaths from chronic diseases 
of adult life are either postponable or preventable 
entirely. Surely if we are at all interested in our 
health it will pay us to consider how this reduction 
may be accomplished. 

General Preventive Measures 
(Of special importance to those in middle life.) 

A. Periodical Physical Examinations. 

All elevators are regularly inspected by qualified 
state inspectors so that they will not break down 
when in use and cause accidents. Railway loco- 
motives and important shop machinery are in- 
spected at frequent intervals for the same reason. 
Is it not common-sense to do at least as much for 
the human machine, the most complicated sort of 
mechanism, as we demand in the case of elevators 
and locomotives ? 

If every one lived exactly as he should — ate, 
drank, exercised, and rested in just the proper way — 
periodical physical examinations might not be so 
important. But we do not. Therefore, the next 
best thing is to find out at the earliest possible 
moment when we are headed for trouble. It is an 
unfortunate fact that diseases of the heart, kid- 
neys, and blood-vessels may be firmly rooted and 
well under way before they begin to cause any dis- 

171 




STETHOSCOPE, USED IN TESTING THE HEART AND LUNGS 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

comfort. Simply because some trouble has not yet 
become serious enough to force you to a doctor, and 
you are able to say, ''It never bothers me,'' it is no 
reason for dismissing the matter with a shrug of the 
shoulders and forgetting about it. If a person 
were suddenly afflicted with pneumonia or lockjaw 
or any other acute disease he would lose no time in 
getting expert advice and demanding every known 
means to save his life, but his life may be threatened 
just as seriously, though possibly not quite so 
quickly, by heart trouble, high blood pressure, or 
Bright's disease, and he will do nothing to prevent 
the progress of these diseases until it is too late, 
but go right on eating and drinking as he pleases, 
overworking and worrying until he dies before he is 
fifty — right in the prime of life. It is very much as 
if a man were to drive an automobile month after 
month, never taking the time or trouble to tighten 
a nut or to repair a puncture or blow-out ; neglect- 
ing to fill the grease-cups or to see that the radiator 
and batteries have sufficient water ; and all the time 
''kidding himself" into thinking his car was in good 
condition as long as it did not actually stop. It 
would stop, of course, from lack of simple but 
necessary care, and yet the man most careful of his 
automobile and who would have it gone over by 
an expert occasionally to see that it was in good 
running order, and who would regard the careless 
driver we spoke of as a downright idiot, is very apt 
to be either amused or annoyed when he is told 

173 




WATCH, FOR TAKING THE PULSE 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

that he should keep his own machine in good run- 
ning order by occasional care and inspection. As 
long as he is not actually sick in bed he thinks it is 
unnecessary to give any attention to his health. 

Our main hope in combating the chronic diseases 
of adult life lies in discovering their presence at an 
early date and in promptly taking the proper steps 
to prevent any further progress. The only prac- 
tical way to do this is by having a thorough physical 
examination at regular stated intervals. You may 
look well and feel well and yet have serious disease 
of some sort; regular physical examinations, how- 
ever, will give you the facts and in case of beginning 
trouble enable you to check it in time. 

If you have reason to believe that you are in good 
physical condition you will be on the safe side if 
you are examined once a year. Should you have 
any chronic disease, however, the time between 
examinations ought not be longer than four or six 
months, this being left to the judgment of your 
physician. A doctor's fee for such a physical ex- 
amination once or twice a year is a very small item as 
compared with the assurance and sense of safety 
derived from the knowledge that you are physically 
sound. As a matter of fact, physical examinations 
are the very best form of ''health insurance" that 
you can have. More than this, two or three dollars 
spent in this way once a year pays big dividends, 
because a thorough examination will reveal slight 
defects or ailments which may be easily corrected if 

175 




THERMOMETER, USED TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE OF FEVER 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

attended to at once. On the other hand, if they 
are neglected they may easily force you to spend 
several hundred dollars in hospital and doctor bills 
later on. 

Briefly stated, the annual physical examination 
should cover the following points : 

1. Careful inquiry into your living habits. 

2. Examination of your eyesight and hearing. 

3. Examination of your teeth and tonsils. 

4. Examination of your heart and blood-vessels. 

5. Examination of your lungs. 

6. A search for enlarged glands in neck, armpit, 
elbow, and groin. 

7. Examination for rupture. 

8. Various tests to determine the state of your 
nervous system. 

9. Measurement of your blood pressure. 

10. A test of the quality of your blood. 

11. A test of your urine for both albumin and 
sugar. 

It almost goes without saying that no physical 
examination can be considered thorough or properly 
conducted unless you are at least stripped to the 
waist. 

B. Observance of Those Principles Explained 
IN Part I, and Which May Be ''Boiled 
Down'' as Follows: 

I. Get enough to eat, but do not overeat. Three 
''square'' meals a day, year in and year out, are 

177 





OUTFIT FOR TESTING THE URINE 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

not good for any one, not even the hardest outdoor 
worker. Avoid highly seasoned food — foods that 
are ''hof when they are cold. Overeating is es- 
pecially harmful when it consists in taking too much 
meat, eggs, or cheese. 

2. Drink at least six or eight glasses of water 
daily. 

3. Get eight hours of sleep, with windows open, at 
least five nights in a week. 

4. Get some form of regular daily exercise, either 
walking, gardening, or in connection with your usual 
employment. Exercise, like everything else, can 
be overdone. Athletes have ruined their health in 
running or in other ways, and you should always 
stop short of fatigue. 

5. Bathe often. The best way is a warm spray 
every morning, followed by a cold spray and a 
vigorous rub-down. This is an excellent way of 
improving the circulation. 

C. Avoidance of Poisons. 

I. The habitual use of drugs, — Without starting a 
temperance debate, it may be stated as a proven 
fact that the constant use of alcohol even in small 
quantities is harmful. Steady, free drinking (not 
drunkenness) carries as heavy a penalty as certain 
diseases of the heart. As the education of the pub- 
lic concerning the effects of alcohol increases, so does 
the number of prohibition states, until at the pres- 

179 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

ent time the sale of liquor is against the law in 
twenty-three states. It is also a very significant 
fact that when it came to making their supreme 
effort England and Russia prohibited the use of 
alcohol, and such action is now being considered 
in this country. 

Tea and coffee used immoderately, as well as 
excessive smoking, especially when the smoke is 
''inhaled,'' are no doubt accountable for many 
nervous disorders appearing in middle life. If you 
hear any one say ''111 stop smoking when I find 
it's getting the best of me; it doesn't bother me 
now," ask him if he believes in neglecting his teeth 
until the decay has gone far enough to reach the 
nerve. It is about the same idea, and if he waits 
for danger signals from smoking there is no reason 
why he should not wait for danger signals (tooth- 
ache) from neglected teeth. 

The habitual use of headache powders and patent 
medicines should also be remembered in this 
connection. 

2. Constipation. — When the bowels become slug- 
gish and do not move at least once daily, certain 
poisons produced in the intestines are given a chance 
to be absorbed. This is apt to be the basis of a 
number of serious ailments. 

3. Chronic infections.— The principal sources of 
trouble of this sort are diseased tonsils, tiny ab- 
scesses at the roots of the teeth (usually old crowns 

180 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

and bridges), pyorrhoea (pus at the edges of the 
gums), and chronic appendicitis. As a result of 
these chronic inflammations poisons are absorbed 
into the circulation and these are a frequent and 




FOODS OF VALUE IN THE PREVENTION OF CONSTIPATION 

direct cause of rheumatism, neuritis, ulcer of the 
stomach, ''hardening" of the arteries, and Bright's 
disease. 



D. Avoidance of Worry and Excessive Brain- 
work. 

Modem life, both socially and in a business way, 
is a greater tax on us mentally than was the case one 
hundred or even fifty years ago. There is no doubt 
but that we ' ' live faster ' ' now than our grandparents 

i8i 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

did. The automobile, the telephone, the telegraph, 
and the many other modem inventions have edu- 
cated us to a point where we are impatient over 
necessary delays and are inclined to worry over 
trifles. When family responsibilities, business cares 
and worries, and the struggle against the high cost 
of living are added to the above, it is plain to be 
seen that many of us are putting too great a tax 
on our nervous system and are operating at too high 
a tension. 

We must school ourselves to put system and order 
into our business methods or whatever our work 
may be; we must resolve not to allow ourselves to 
be irritated by trifles, and to cultivate some hobby 
outside of our regular work. This is really an im- 
portant matter, for it is well known that mental 
strain due to worry, anxiety, and outbursts of tem- 
per is responsible for certain diseases, the most 
important being hardening of the arteries (arterio- 
sclerosis), which causes high blood pressure and, 
in the end, apoplexy. 

From all this it will be seen what it is necessary 
for us to do in order to prevent or postpone until 
we are seventy or eighty the chronic, degenerative 
diseases of adult life. The precautions apply prin- 
cipally, however, to heart disease (the most fatal 
of all diseases), kidney disease, and hardening of 
the arteries (high blood pressure and apoplexy). 
There remain to be considered several diseases 
which are in a large measure preventable, but which 

182 



CHRONIC DISEASES OF ADULT LIFE 

are not covered by the above general preventive 
measures. As there are certain definite means of 
prevention for each one, they will be considered 
separately. 
13 



Part V 

DISEASES WHICH ARE LARGELY PREVENT- 
ABLE BUT NOT COMMUNICABLE 



1. Cancer 

A Few Facts About Cancer. 

Above the age of forty cancer is more frequent 
than either tuberculosis or pneumonia, and of those 
persons who reach this age one in every eleven 
dies of the disease. At this rate, it is estimated 
that cancer claimed about 100,000 victims in the 
United States in 19 16. The principal reason for 
this fearful death-rate is that treatment is so often 
delayed until the cases become hopeless. The sad 
and serious part of the matter is that nearly all of 
the 100,000 were adults — vigorous, healthy bread- 
winners or heads of households. Such a prevalent 
and fatal disease demands more than passing at- 
tention if it is to be lessened, and the closest and 
most careful study if it is to be finally conquered. 
It is useless to shudder and say, ''Gracious! what 
a horrible thing cancer is!" and then forget about 
it until perhaps you are the next one attacked. It 
is of the greatest importance that we post ourselves 
on the few simple and known facts about the disease, 
so that when danger threatens we can act promptly 
and intelligently. It is not our purpose to arouse 
terror or a dread of the disease, but to tell in a simple 

187 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

way what cancer is, how it begins, where it usually 
locates, and what can be done to prevent or cure it. 
Then we can be on the lookout and get expert advice 
at the first sign of the danger signals of the disease. 

Cancer is not hereditary — that is, it is not passed 
on from parent to child. It sometimes happens 
that a person with a cancer had a father or mother 
who died of the disease, but that is not the reason 
he has it any more than that he may be poor 
simply because his parents were poor. Neither is 
cancer contagious, nor is it spread in any way 
from person to person. The cause of cancer is still 
unknown, but this does not prevent our being able 
to cure it in most cases if we will only use the 
knowledge we already have. 

Unlike tuberculosis, cancer does not seem to 
attack the weakling any more than it does those 
who are strong and healthy. It does, however, 
seem to accompany certain conditions of rich and 
luxurious living, so that in a general way we can 
say that the idle rich are more apt to be attacked 
by cancer than they are by tuberculosis, while the 
opposite is also true. 

What Cancer Is. 

Tumors and cancers are not one and the same 
thing. A tumor is a growth or lump of any size 
anywhere in the body. In that sense all cancers, 
unless they are just starting, are tumors. But 
there are many other kinds of tumors that are not 

i88 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

cancers.' Cancer is a very curious disease which 
is due to certain cells of the body multiplying so 
fast that they seem to '*run away with themselves.'' 
When neglected, large lumps, or tumors, are formed 
which eat their way into the surrounding tissues 
and press on vital organs. The origin of cancer 
has been compared to the situation in a family 
which is seated at the dinner-table when a supposed 
relative arrives and is given a place, the new-comer 
eating all the food and finally the family itself. 
That is about the way a cancer behaves. It starts 
very quietly, is small at first, but gradually grows 
until it destroys the very tissues that feed it, until 
at last it kills a person by injuring some vital part 
of the body. 

Parts of the Body Most Frequently Attacked. 

In men, the stomach, bowels, and skin are at- 
tacked most frequently and in the order named, 
while in women most cases of cancer occur in the 
womb and breast. 

How Cancer Begins. 

While, as we said, the exact cause of cancer is 
not known, still, we do know a good deal about 
how it starts and what is apt to bring it on. Irri- 
tation of certain parts of the body seems to be fre- 
quently followed by cancer. For instance, when 
moles or warts are continually rubbed or irritated 
by the clothing or are made to bleed or are kept 

189 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

sore by repeated injury, cancer is apt to result. 
The ragged edge of a decayed tooth may irritate 
the inside of the cheek or tongue so that a chronic 
ulcer will form on which finally develops a cancer. 
Cancer is frequently seen in hard smokers ; the hot 
smoke from pipe or cigar strikes the same place 
year in and year out, irritates it, and favors the pro- 
duction of cancer. That is why cancer of the lip 
and tongue are common in men and are almost 
never seen in women. The irritation of an ulcer 
of the stomach is frequently responsible for the 
ulcer later turning into a cancer. Cancer of the 
breast usually follows inflammation with its accom- 
panying irritation, and, lastly, cancer of the womb 
is often seen in women who have had several chil- 
dren, while in those who have not it is infrequent. 
The process of child-bearing sometimes tears the 
womb; this results in a chronic irritation which, if 
neglected, is apt to be the starting-point of cancer. 

Danger Signals. 

Remember that the ''cancer age" is from forty- 
five to sixty-five and that the signs mentioned be- 
low will always bear close investigation when they 
occur at this time of life. 

1. Loss of weight. 

2. Unusual pallor. 

3. Persistent disturbances or ''upsets'* of the 
stomach or bowels. 

4. A wart or mole which shows a tendency to grow. 

190 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

5. The appearance of a lump anywhere in the 
body. It may prove to be only an abscess or some 
simple harmless tumor — a physician can usually 
tell. A lump in the breast should always be re- 
garded with grave suspicion, especially when it 
appears after the age of forty. 

6. Any persistent discharge occurring after the 
** change of life," no matter how slight in amount. 
It is particularly suggestive if the discharge is 
bloody. Also slight bleedings between the ''peri- 
ods/' before the change of life has taken place, 
should be brought to the attention of a physician. 

You will notice that pain has not been mentioned 
— it is one of the last symptoms of cancer. When a 
person with cancer suffers pain it is usually a sign 
that the cancer has become firmly rooted and that 
there is not much that can be done. 

Prevention and Cure of Cancer. 

As a matter of fact, cancer cannot really be pre- 
vented, as it is apt to occur in spite of anything 
we may do to prevent it. There are certain pre- 
cautions, however, which will lessen the chances 
of cancer and which, once it has started, will greatly 
increase the probability of a cure. 

I. Annual physical examination. While this 
alone cannot be relied upon, still, the careful 
examiner will often stumble on a case of beginning 
cancer which might otherwise have run along for 
several months unnoticed. 

191 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

2. Avoidance of unusual or persistent irritation 
of any part of the body. Whether it be excessive 
smoking, a sharp tooth, a wart or mole which bleeds 
frequently, an ulcer of the stomach, or a tear of 
the womb, attend to the matter and thereby lessen 
the chances of cancer by just that much. 

3. Report promptly to your physician at once if 
you notice any of the danger signals mentioned 
above, such as loss of weight, persistent indigestion, 
growing moles or warts, chronic ulcers (especially in 
the mouth), unusual flowing or discharge, or a lump 
in the breast. If your physician is in doubt about 
the nature of such a lump it should either be re- 
moved entirely as a '* safety first'' measure or else 
a portion of it obtained for examination under the 
microscope. This cuts out the guesswork, just as 
an X-ray does in the case of a broken bone. As a 
general rule, remember that any lump in the breast 
may be cancer, and on this account, if the lump 
does not disappear of its own accord within two 
weeks, it should be removed. If this rule were fol- 
lowed thousands of lives would be saved. In 
other cases, careful study with the aid of X-rays 
and chemical tests may be necessary before the 
doctor can be sure the trouble is not cancer. 

4. Operation. Just as cancer is practically al- 
ways incurable in its later stages, so is it easily 
cured if promptly recognized and removed at once 
by competent treatment. It cannot be too strongly 
emphasized that the cure of cancer consists 

192 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

IN THE COMPLETE SURGICAL REMOVAL OF THE 
GROWTH AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE MOMENT. 

This is the best and most successful method of 
curing the disease. Incomplete removal is worse 
than no treatment at all, as it only irritates the 
cancer and causes it to grow faster than ever. 

Most cancers grow slowly for the first few months, 
and if they can only be discovered and cut out in 
the early stage — ''nipped in the bud" — a cure is 
bound to result. On the other hand, the surest 
way to die from cancer is to adopt a policy of 
''watchful waiting." 

5. X-rays and radium are helpful in certain 
cases, as in cancer of the face in old people, or 
wherever an operation is not possible or where it 
might be too disfiguring. The authorities say that 
the X-ray is just as valuable as radium in the 
treatment of cancer, and it certainly is much less 
expensive. 

Cancer "Cures." 

As long as thousands of persons continue to die 
each year from cancer there will be a field for 
quacks and fake cancer "cures." Warning is here- 
by given that no internal medicine, no marvelous 
salve, paste, or ointment, no fluid injected under 
the skin, or any other similar treatment, has ever 
cured a case of real cancer; all they can do is to 
raise false hopes. The employment of such useless 
remedies would not be so serious if it were not for 

193 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

the valuable time lost in finding out that they do 
no good. Patients, after wasting not only their 
money, but precious weeks and months, in this 
way, too often decide upon an operation, only to 
be told by the surgeon that their case is hopeless 
and that nothing can be done. Had they gone to 
him at first they would have had the best possible 
chance for a cure. 

The ''last word '' on the subject of cancer is, go to 
a surgeon of good standing at once, as soon as any 
lump or sore or other danger signal appears that 
does not go away in a few weeks. The earlier you 
have proper treatment the less the danger, the less 
the pain, the less the disfigurement, and the less 
the expense. A trivial operation may often prevent 
the necessity of a serious one and may save your 
life as well. 

2. Constipation 

Normal Digestion. 

In health, the food we eat enters the stomach, 
where it remains for about three hours, there being 
acted upon by certain juices. It is in this way 
prepared for full digestion and absorption in the 
small intestine, into which it passes from time to 
time in small quantities. The intestines are about 
thirty feet in length, the small intestine being smaller 
in diameter but much longer than the large intes- 
tine, which is only six feet in length. After the 

194 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

nourishing elements in the food are extracted in 
the small intestine and taken up by the blood, 
the contents pass into the large intestine. Here 
most of the water is removed, the remaining sub- 
stance being useless waste matter which is passed 
on and finally expelled. 

What Constipation Is. 

Bowel movements should occur at least once 
daily. When the bowels do not move as often as 
they should or when the action is insufficient, the 
resulting condition is known as constipation. 

For the sake of better understanding, the stomach 
may be compared to a kitchen where the food 
is prepared; the intestine to a dining-room where 
the food is eaten; while the last portion of the 
large intestine, or rectum, is the sewer of the body. 
You know how necessary it is that a garbage-can 
be emptied frequently. So it is with the bowels; 
if they do not act properly, the contents decompose 
and poisonous substances are produced. The ab- 
sorption of these poisons is often the cause of 
serious trouble. 

Some Results of Constipation. 

Probably no condition is so common, so pre- 
ventable, and yet so apt to favor the development 
of disease elsewhere in the body as constipation. 
Perhaps the most important trouble brought about 
by constipation is appendicitis. Nearly every one 

195 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

operated upon for appendicitis states that he was 
troubled with constipation for a long time before the 
attack. Headaches, piles, and loss of energy are 
other conditions which frequently result from slug- 
gish bowel action. If constipated, you are much 
more liable to colds and other troubles of the sort. 
It is a familiar fact that when a doctor is called, 
usually one of the first things done is to clean out 
the bowels with a cathartic. The idea is that if 
Nature is to be successful in fighting a disease it is 
necessary that she be not handicapped by having 
to combat in addition the poisons produced as a 
result of stagnating bowel contents. 

Prevention of Constipation. 

This will be accomplished for the most part if 
we keep from doing those things which tend to 
cause constipation. The natural action of the 
bowels depends upon two things: first, the con- 
tractions which push the intestinal contents along, 
and, second, the secretions of the bowels which 
tend to lubricate the lining of the intestines and 
render easy the passage of the waste matter. 
Therefore, we should 

A. Drink pie ty of water so that the bowel se- 
cretions (which are mostly water) will form readily. 
This means at least six glasses of water a day in 
winter and eight or ten in summer. 

B (i). The best ''bowel-regulators'' are foods. 
Keep clearly in mind those foods which are coarse 

196 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

and bulky and which leave an undigested residue; 
this in its passage through the bowels stimulates 
the lining and produces the normal contractions 
spoken of. Such foods are most fresh, green vege- 
tables, especially string-beans, turnips, squash, raw 
cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and other greens. Fresh 
fruit, such as apples, grapes, and pears, also belong 
in this class, while coarse bread containing bran 
or the entire part of the grain has a similar effect. 
Such breads are rye, whole wheat, graham, and 
brown bread. 

(2) Certain other foods have a mild laxative 
action, such as figs, stewed prunes, and fruit juices. 

(3) Keep clearly in mind those foods which have 
a decidedly constipating effect. They are meat, 
fish, eggs, boiled milk, cheese, macaroni, spaghetti, 
rice, cornstarch, tea, and cocoa. 

If you have the slightest tendency toward con- 
stipation, you should memorize the above foods 
and try to make at least a few of the laxative foods 
a part of your daily diet, and ''go easy'* on those 
that are constipating. 

C. Exercise. — Get a moderate amount of exercise 
daily. Walk to and from your work whenever 
possible; if you live at a distance, ride part way 
and walk the rest. Regular daily exercise in the 
open air is undoubtedly one of the greatest pre- 
ventives of constipation. 

D. Regularity. — Go to the toilet at a regular 
time every day; the best time is just after break- 

197 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

fast. Did you ever hear of a horse being consti- 
pated? Certainly not. The reason is that he not 
only eats the proper sort of food, but moves his 
bowels at the slightest inclination. Do not permit 
modesty or rush of business to cause you to post- 
pone this matter when you feel the inclination to 
go. If the desire to move the bowels is not attended 
to at once that desire will gradually disappear. 

Constipation should be overcome, if possible, 
without taking medicine. Powerful pills and ' ' salts ' ' 
are usually unnecessary, are apt to produce a habit, 
and in the end make the constipation worse, for 
the reason that the intestines come to rely on them. 



3. Obesity 

How TO Tell IF You Are Overweight. 

Here is a simple rule by which you can tell 
roughly whether you are too stout or do not weigh 
enough. This applies to those between the ages of 
twenty and fifty. Divide your weight by your 
height (in inches). 

If the result is over 3, you are overweight. 

If the result is under 2, you are underweight. 

If the result is about 2>^, your weight is normal. 

For example, a person 5 ft. 10 in. in height (70 
inches) weighs 175 lbs.; 175 divided by 70 equals 
2>^, which shows that the weight is just right for 

the height. 

198 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

Results of Overweight or Obesity. 

Aside from the inconvenience, fat people do not, 
as a rule, live to be as old as those who are well 
proportioned. They are also more apt to develop 
diabetes, constipation, gout, and the chronic 
diseases of adult life such as heart and kidney 
disease, and also hardening of the arteries. For 
this reason, life-insurance companies do not accept 
persons who are considerably overweight. 

Why People Get Fat. 

There is no doubt that some people are fat be- 
cause their parents are fat, but in most cases 
obesity is due to overeating combined with lack 
of exercise. 

Sometimes when people are underweight it may 
be impossible to bring their weight up to normal. 
The reason for this is that the difficulty is due to 
poor assimilation — that is, no matter how much 
food is eaten or how nutritious it may be, the body 
refuses to use it to build up with. It is quite dif- 
ferent in the case of stout people, however. If less 
food is eaten than is prCsSented by the amount of 
energy expended in their daily life they must get 
THIN — no power on earth can prevent such a result. 

Prevention of Obesity. 

I. Weigh yourself and by the use of the rule 
given above see if your weight is correct for your 
14 ^99 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

height. Then by weighing several times a year 
you can keep a check on things. If you find your 
weight remains about the same, it is unnecessary 
to give a thought to what you eat as far as fat- 
producing foods are concerned. On the other hand, 
if you are over forty and notice that each time you 
weigh yourself you are just a few pounds heavier 
than you were before, then it is time to take steps 
to check the tendency and you cannot begin too 
soon. 

2. Have clearly in mind those foods which are 
fat-producing. ''Go easy'' with them, and, when 
it is not a hardship to do so, give up certain ones 
entirely. 

Foods to be avoided or used very moderately 
by those showing a tendency to become fat: 

Sweets (sugar, pastry, cake, and candy). 

Fats (butter, cream, olive-oil, and nuts). 

Oily fish (mackerel, herring, sardines, and 
salmon) . 

Greasy meats (pork, goose, and sausage). 

Milk as a beverage, chocolate, and all alcoholic 
drinks. 

Water with your meals. 

Eat less food of all sorts than you have been in 
the habit of eating. Stop short of satisfying your 
hunger entirely; it won't hurt you and will help 
bring your weight down and keep it where it 
ought to be. If you find that you feel ''empty'' 
you can fill up on string-beans, tomatoes, cabbage, 

20C 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

carrots, spinach, lettuce, or other greens. They 
have the advantage of adding bulk to the diet and 
contain very little real nourishment. To illustrate 
this, you would have to eat ten dollars' worth of 
lettuce and tomato salad to produce 2,500 food 
units (the amount of fuel for an average day's work), 
while forty cents' worth of butter would furnish 
the same amount of energy. 

By chewing your food a long time your appetite 
will be satisfied by a smaller quantity. 

3. Exercise. — Moderate exercise tends to reduce 
fat, and the more you perspire the better. Special 
gymnasium exercises are better than walking, 
swimming, or other outdoor sports, as they are 
not so apt to increase the appetite. 

Keep tab on your weight, and when you have 
accomplished the desired reduction let up on your 
diet a little, but not so much that your weight goes 
up again. By following the above rules almost any 
person can, with a little common-sense and a good 
deal of persistence and will power, keep his weight 
down where it should be. There is, however, no 
mysterious method which will accomplish this and 
at the same time permit you to eat anything you 
care to or go entirely without exercise. 

4. Diabetes 

This disease is more apt to develop in stout per- 
sons than in those who are well proportioned. It 

201 



HOW TO PREVENT SICKNESS 

is a ''wasting" disease, the one sure sign of which 
is the appearance of sugar in the urine. The 
''Allen'' treatment is the modem way of dealing 
with the disease and consists of dieting along 
scientific lines. It usually results in the cure of 
diabetes if the disease is discovered in time. Our 
principal hope, then, in the prevention of dia- 
betes lies in discovering the disease early. 

1. Periodical physical examination. Every thor- 
ough examination will include a test of the urine. 
If this is found to be free of sugar, it may be safely 
assumed that no diabetes is present. 

Sometimes the urine of healthy persons will give 
the sugar test. This usually follows the eating of 
considerable candy or other sweet or starchy food. 
To settle the question, then, it is necessary, in case 
the first specimen is found to contain sugar, to 
examine additional samples both on the next day 
and the day following. If diabetes is really present, 
all three specimens will show sugar. On the other 
hand, if there is no trouble the last two will prob- 
ably show nothing. 

2. The children of diabetic parents should, in ad- 
dition to frequent tests of the urine, avoid eating 
much, if any, candy, sugar, cake, or other sweets. 



No doubt some of you who read this book will 
think that there is so much you have to do in order 
to prevent sickness that you will say, "Oh, well! 

202 



DISEASES LARGELY PREVENTABLE 

Before I go to all that bother and trouble I'd rather 
be sick!'' That, of course, is a question for you 
to decide. However, once you get in the habit of 
living in the right way it becomes almost second 
nature and is not nearly the trouble that it may 
seem. A little thought and care and work and 
planning always have been and always will be 
necessary if we expect to get ahead in the world. 
You are willing to do these things for the sake of 
your home, your family, and your future. Why 
not for the sake of your health ? Health is, without 
question, the most important of all things, for with- 
out it you become a burden to others and much 
of the joy of living is taken away. 



THE END 



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